Darkness and Light
by KJaneway115
Summary: Voyager encounters a planet that seems to be a paradise. But the planet has a darker side which has potentially disastrous consequences for Captain Janeway.
1. Something Is About to Happen

_Author's Note: This is the oldest story of the ones I am publishing, and I have mixed feelings about it. I've just gone back and edited it for grammatical errors and minor inconsistencies. The plot remains the same, so if you've read it before, there's probably no need to read the latest update. I've added chapter titles and changed some of the formatting a little. All feedback is welcome__._

**Da****rkness and Light**

Chapter 1: Something is About to Happen

The starship _Voyager_ glided through space. Empty blackness surrounded it. Small, bright specks of light seemed far away. The stars surrounding _Voyager_ gleamed with a harsh, clear light, inviting both speculation and exploration. One might be a cold, dry planet; a hostile tundra where little could survive. Another might be a lush, jungle world permeated with green, blue and purple flora and fauna, or a forest world where many animals coexisted, feeding off the land and off each other. Who were the inhabitants of these many worlds? Were they hostile or friendly? Allies or enemies? In what state of technological advancement were their societies? What kinds of governments did they employ? How would they respond to first contact from an alien race from halfway across the galaxy?

These were the thoughts that flitted through the mind of Captain Kathryn Janeway as she sat in her chair on the bridge of her ship, watching the black space and the glittering stars fly by. It had been an unusually quiet month on _Voyager_. They had journeyed past many worlds, stopped at a few, but they'd had no significant encounters. They had not heard from the Borg, or Q; no one had tried to abduct any member of the crew, or steal their organs, or change their DNA. It had been quiet, and the crew was beginning to feel restless. It had been too long that nothing had changed their lives. They had settled into their life aboard the ship, had become accustomed to their perpetual journey and maintained the status quo in their relationships with each other. Today, there was an air of anticipation among the crew, the senior staff particularly, as if something important were about to happen.

"Neelix to Captain Janeway," the Captain heard over the comm system.

"Janeway here," she replied.

"Ah, Captain," Neelix's boisterous voice continued, "I just wanted to remind you that tonight is the fourth birthday celebration for Naomi Wildman. I hope that you and all the senior staff will attend?"

A smile touched Janeway's lips. She had nearly forgotten that today was the birthday of her young "assistant." "We'll be there, Mr. Neelix," she replied.

"Thank you, Captain. We'll see you at 1900 hours. I've prepared a very special recipe for the birthday cake! Neelix out."

Looking around her at the rest of the bridge crew, Janeway told them, "I'll expect to see each of you at the celebration tonight." There was a general murmur of "yes ma'ams" all around the room as the rest of the crew nodded their consent.

Chakotay leaned over towards his partner in command and asked her, "Have you thought about a gift for the Captain's Assistant on her birthday?"

Turning her head to look at her first officer, Janeway nodded and smiled conspiratorially. "I have, Commander," she replied, "But you'll have to wait and find out what it is just like the rest of the crew." Chakotay raised his eyebrows, shrugged and turned back to the view screen.

As Chakotay inhaled slowly, enjoying the peace of the moment, he, too, felt the air of anticipation shared by the other members of the crew. Something was about to happen.

...

The smells of garlic, onions, tomatoes and chocolate – as well as some of their Delta Quadrant substitutes – wafted up from the kitchen in the mess hall. Neelix inhaled deeply, savoring the many sensations and smells of the meal he was preparing. As he chopped more cebola root for the pasta sauce, he glanced over at the large, decadent chocolate cake that was slowly baking in the over. He felt his eyes begin to water from the onion-like root he was chopping, and he ran a cold towel across his forehead to ease the sweat from the hot kitchen and the stinging from the cebola. It was moments like this, when he was completely alone and immersed in his cooking, that he allowed his mind to indulge in a brief thought of Kes; to wonder where she was and what she was doing, off on her higher plane of existence. He remembered her presence in this very kitchen, helping him to chop vegetables for similar meals. He remembered her at his side during many similar parties. He ran the cloth over his forehead and across his eyes again, no longer sure whether these tears were entirely from the cebola.

The sauce on the stovetop began to boil, and he turned it down to a simmer, adding the cebola and other vegetables. He then turned his attention to preparing the salad and his own special version of garlic bread. Naomi had wanted a special birthday dinner, and Neelix had been saving the appropriate ingredients for months in order to make exactly the meal that the little girl desired.

Just then, the doors to the mess hall swished open and in bounced the child herself. "Hello, Neelix," said Naomi, as she rushed over to him, trying to see what he was making.

"Now, Naomi," Neelix admonished, "you know that this dinner is supposed to be a surprise and you are not supposed to be in here today. Shouldn't you be studying, or helping Captain Janeway?"

"Aw, Neelix, I know you told me it was supposed to be a surprise, but I was just so curious to see what my cake is going to look like! I'm tired of studying, and Captain Janeway doesn't need any help. It's so boring on _Voyager_ right now. Nothing exciting has happened for weeks."

"I hope you're not complaining about that," replied Neelix. "Usually the exciting things that happen on _Voyager_ aren't things we want to happen. I think it's refreshing to have a few weeks of peace and quiet. That way we can all truly enjoy your birthday together without worrying about what's around the corner."

Naomi looked up at Neelix thoughtfully. "I suppose you're right," she said, with a twinkle in her eye. "But I still want to know what my birthday cake looks like!"

"Not till tonight," said Neelix. "Now why don't you go and pick out a dress for the party. I just have a few things to finish up here. By the time you pick out your dress and get ready for the party, you'll only have a few more minutes left to wait. Besides, you're the guest of honor. You need to take your time getting ready for the big celebration!"

Naomi knew that Neelix was just trying to get her out of the mess hall so he could finish his cooking, but he did it in such a thoughtful way that she couldn't help smiling. "Alright, Neelix. I'll see you in a little while. I'll go get ready."

"Good girl," Neelix replied.

"See you later!" Naomi exclaimed as she turned and walked swiftly out of the mess hall with a grin on her face.

Neelix finished adding the ingredients and spices to his sauce, put water on to boil for the pasta and took the cake out of the oven. He set it out to cool while he finished the garlic bread and salad, and with most of the meal underway or completed, Neelix turned back to the cake. After mixing a large bowl of chocolate frosting, he got out his decorating tubes and put a different color frosting in each one. He painstakingly decorated the cake with pictures of starships and planets, and on the top, in fancy script, he wrote, "Happy Birthday, Naomi!"

Just as he had finished the cake and begun to set up the buffet, he heard the doors to the mess hall open again. Looking up to see Captain Janeway, he realized that it must be 1900 already! "Captain," he said, flustered, "I'm just adding the finishing touches for our celebration tonight."

"That's alright, Neelix," she replied. "I'm a few minutes early. I just wanted to tuck my gift away somewhere before everyone arrived."

"The gift table is right over there, Captain," said Neelix, gesturing to a table set up to his right, with a fancy table cloth and decorations surrounding it.

"Thank you, Neelix," Janeway replied. She walked over to the table and placed a small, wrapped box towards the back of it. "Can I help you with anything?"

"No, no, Captain. Everything is fine. I've almost got everything set up."

"Well, Neelix," said Janeway, "I think you may have outdone yourself this time. It smells wonderful!"

"Thank you, Captain," replied Neelix, smiling. "You know I aim to please."

The door swished open again and in came the guest of honor, now wearing a party dress with her hair in curls. "Hello, Captain," Naomi said. "Hello, Neelix." Her mother was right behind her.

"Happy birthday, Naomi," replied Janeway. "I like your dress."

"Thank you very much, Captain. I'm glad you could be here tonight."

"Thank you for coming, Captain," Samantha Wildman added, smiling.

Janeway smiled, grateful for this rare moment of relaxation and peace. "I wouldn't miss it," she replied.

The rest of the crew gradually entered. They lined up for the buffet and everyone complimented the smells and tastes of Neelix's cooking. No one complained about his crazy concoctions tonight. The crew sat around the mess hall, talking, eating, drinking and enjoying each other's company. Captain Janeway sat near Naomi, Samantha and Chakotay, and it was Naomi who finally called over to Neelix, "Come and join us!"

"Just have to replenish the salad," Neelix replied from across the room. "Seems to be a big hit this time."

"Come and join us, Neelix," said Chakotay. "I think this crew is capable of getting their own salad."

"Very well, Commander." Neelix grabbed himself a plate of food and moved to join them.

Throughout the room, various snippets of cheerful conversation could be heard. "Tom, don't tell me B'Elanna beat you at holodeck ping pong again!" exclaimed Harry.

"Oh, I'm just trying to be nice," replied Paris. "I let her win."

Even without witnessing the conversation, a listener could hear Torres raise her eyebrows. "Really, flyboy?" she asked skeptically. "We'll just have to see about that when we have a rematch tomorrow!"

The Doctor and Seven of Nine were engaged in an animated discussion of Cosi fan tutte, comparing and contrasting it to Die zieberflaute.

Chakotay, sitting next to Captain Janeway, leaned over and spoke softly into her ear, "It's nice, isn't it?" She nodded, without even having to ask him what he meant. Everything seemed to be just as it should be. This was their family, happy, in harmony, at peace with each other and themselves, gathering to celebrate a joyous occasion.

Before long, Neelix tapped his fork against his glass, interrupting all conversation. "Everyone, everyone, may I please have your attention?" The noise of talking and laughing quieted to a low din as everyone turned to look at Neelix. "Tonight, we are celebrating the life of our youngest crew member, Naomi Wildman, and I would like you all to join me in a song to wish her a happy birthday." Neelix then revealed his gorgeous cake, covered in lighted candles, and motioned with his head for everyone to start singing. A chorus of "Happy Birthday" followed as Neelix carried the cake out and placed it in front of Naomi. "Make a wish," Neelix said. With a huge grin on her face, Naomi took a big breath and blew out her candles. Everyone applauded. Neelix served cake to everyone, and many crew members complimented him on the excellent dessert.

After Neelix had finished serving cake and had cut a piece for himself, Naomi approached him and threw her arms around him. "Thank you, Neelix," she said. "You've made my birthday so wonderful."

"There's nothing I wouldn't do for my little girl," Neelix replied.

After everyone ate their cake, it was time for Naomi to open her gifts. Harry handed her his first: a kit to perform scientific experiments, and Naomi was thrilled with it. She received puzzles, games, clothes, a stuffed animal from Neelix, and a book on astronomy from Seven of Nine, who said she thought Naomi would find the reading "useful." Her mother gave her a new chapter of Flotter's adventures for the holodeck.

Neelix watched the bright eyes of the little girl opening her gifts. He reveled in her happiness and in the contentment of those around him. Who would have thought that this group of angry, frightened, disparate people would have reached this kind of peace and togetherness, he wondered. The Doctor helped Naomi assemble a set of Starfleet officer action figures. B'Elanna sat on the floor, leaning up against Tom's knees. His hand gently stroked her hair, and he looked alternately on the girl enjoying her gifts, and the calm face of his love. Seven sat looking on, a smile beginning on her lips, despite the veiled melancholy in her eyes. Next to her, sat Captain Janeway, looking like a proud mother, while Chakotay stood behind her, one hand resting inconspicuously on her shoulder.

Then there was only one gift remaining on the table, a small, wrapped box. Naomi picked it up and studied it. "To Naomi Wildman from Captain Janeway," she read. Cocking her head to one side, she looked up at the Captain, then smiled brightly, her eyes lit with curiosity. Janeway smiled back. She felt Chakotay's hand tighten on her shoulder.

Carefully, Naomi unwrapped the gift. Under the paper was a small, silver box, which she opened carefully. Inside was a gold chain, with a small golden charm. It was a necklace, and the charm held a golden Starfleet pip. "You can't wear them properly yet," Janeway said, "but I guess this makes your role as Captain's assistant official."

Naomi's eyes widened and she took a few swift steps towards the Captain and threw her arms around her. "Thank you, Captain," she said, "I'm honored." Janeway sat there, hugging the child, stroking her hair, her own eyes misting at the scene. When Naomi broke the hug and looked up at the Captain, she was smiling. "Thank you," she said again. Janeway winked in response, which only made the child's smile even wider.

"Well," said Neelix, "there's still a lot more cake left. Who wants seconds?" The room began to bustle once again with jovial energy and conversation. Slowly, the guests began to trickle out, wishing happy birthday to Naomi and heading off to their quarters or to their next duty shift. Neelix and Samantha took Naomi off to bed and everyone wished her goodnight. Soon, only Tom, B'Elanna, Janeway, Chakotay and Tuvok remained in the mess hall. Tuvok had come in towards the end of the party, having been relieved from the bridge by Ensign Kim. Tom still sat in one of the lounge chairs, B'Elanna with her head in his lap. Janeway, Chakotay and Tuvok had pulled up nearby chairs, and they were engaged in quiet conversation, enjoying each other's company.

"Well, I thought Neelix did a great job putting that one together," said Tom. "The food was great. Nothing too high stress. It was a really nice night."

"I agree," said B'Elanna, looking up at him. "It's nice to just be together."

"I have observed," said Tuvok, "that this crew has truly begun to act 'like a family,' as Captain Janeway puts it. It improves our efficiency as well as our morale. That said, I must take my leave for the evening. Goodnight." He looked around at his companions, and his eyes came to rest on Janeway. "Captain," he acknowledged her.

"Goodnight, Tuvok," she said, with a smile. A chorus of "goodnights" and "see you tomorrows" followed from the other three remaining in the room.

For several minutes, they sat there in silence, each contemplating their own thoughts. It was not uncomfortable for them to sit in each other's company without a word. They absorbed the peaceful quiet of the moment, each feeling their own kind of serenity and peace.

B'Elanna looked across at Captain Janeway. "A penny for your thoughts, Captain," she asked.

The Captain shook her head slightly. "I'm very grateful for this crew. We seem to be able to adapt to any situation." She chuckled. "Although I think for some people the peace and quiet of the last few weeks has been the hardest thing to adapt to."

"I'm enjoying it," Paris replied. "Spending time with B'Elanna, playing around on the holodeck, taking the Delta Flyer out for a spin… what could be bad?" He grinned and placed a kiss on his Torres' head.

"And we've finally been able to do all the repairs and maintenance that have been put off for months," added B'Elanna. "It's been a luxury."

"Oh, I agree," said Janeway. "Believe me, no one is enjoying this more than I." She turned to her first officer. "You've been unusually quiet this evening."

Chakotay shrugged. "Not much to say, I guess," he replied. "Or not the right words to say it." His eyes seemed to be gazing off at a distant planet, or at some unknown vision in the recesses of his mind. Janeway extended her hand, and that seemed to bring him back to the present. He took the extended hand in a gentle, easy motion, and clasped her fingers lightly in his own.

Then, B'Elanna glanced up at Tom with a look that he knew well, and they simultaneously began to stand up. Chakotay and Janeway also moved to stand, but Tom shook his head and motioned with his hand for them to stay seated. There was no need for formalities. "We're going to turn in for the night," Tom said, helping B'Elanna up from the floor. Paris and Torres bid the Captain and First Officer goodnight and left the mess hall.

Janeway and Chakotay sat there, their hands remaining clasped. Chakotay softly ran his thumb over the back of her hand, back and forth. They were not looking at each other, but slowly, as if by the pull of gravity, their eyes met. For a moment, they looked into each other's eyes, allowing themselves one vulnerable second before Janeway withdrew her hand. "Chakotay," she said softly, "it's late. We should both get some rest." Chakotay nodded and stood, as she stood as well. "Oh," she groaned, "I've been sitting too long."

"Let me walk you back to your quarters," Chakotay said. Together, they walked out of the mess hall, down the corridor and to the turbolift.

"What were you thinking about tonight, Chakotay?" she asked. "I know there's something on your mind."

"I was thinking about something my father told me once," he replied slowly. "The greater the trials you undergo, the more you appreciate the joyous moments in life. There was a legend about an eagle."

"A legend?" asked Janeway with a smile, raising her eyebrows.

Chakotay returned the smile and replied, "This was a _real_ legend. I just can't quite remember it. My father must have told it to me when I was very young."

"And you were thinking of it tonight because you think that what lies before us are more difficult trials than those we have already faced?"

He nodded. "That is why I was thinking of it, yes."

"Well, Chakotay," Janeway said, "if that's true, whatever those trials are, we will face them, and we'll face them together, as you have told me many times."

He nodded. "I know." They were standing in front of the door to her quarters.

"Well," she said softly, "goodnight, Chakotay."

"Goodnight, Kathryn." They each slipped into their quarters and were left to their private musings. Neither one noticed the almost imperceptible beam of light that swept through the corridor after them.


	2. Dieu Diable

__Chapter 2: Dieu Diable

Voyager's bridge was quiet as Harry Kim sat in the captain's chair. The routine humming of a starship and noises of the sensors were the only sounds to be heard. The other officers on the bridge were quietly minding their stations and going about their duties. A sensor beeped, indicating an irregularity, and Lieutenant Ayala said, "Sir, we're picking up some minor atmospheric fluctuations throughout the ship."

Kim stood. "Source?" he asked.

"Unknown, sir," replied Ayala. After a moment, the lieutenant had a puzzled expression on his face. "Sir," he continued, "they're gone. Everything has returned to normal conditions."

"Run a full sensor diagnostic," Harry ordered.

"Yes, sir," replied Ayala. The beam of light that moved across the bridge was so minuscule and fast that no one noticed it. Kim blinked his eyes, wondering if the lights had flashed, but then sure he was just tired from being on duty all day as well as attending Naomi's party.

The sensor diagnostic was completed and no anomalies had been found. Kim reported his findings, or lack thereof, and the rest of his shift passed uneventfully. The next shift rotation occurred, and Tom Paris took the conn. Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay resumed their posts on the bridge.

"Captain," said Tom, "we're approaching an M-class planet. Should we alter course?"

"How far out of our way is it?" the Captain asked.

"Only a couple of lightyears, Captain. It would hardly take us any time at all."

Janeway thought the crew could use a diversion, a little excitement, so she said, "Alter course. Alert me when we are in hailing range. Mr. Tuvok, what can you tell me about the planet?"

"They appear to have warp technology," Tuvok replied. "Beyond that, there is little I can tell from this distance."

"Proceed with caution, Mr. Paris," Janeway commanded.

Several minutes later, Tuvok said, "We are in hailing range, Captain."

"Open a channel," said Janeway. When Tuvok nodded to her that the channel was open, she continued, "This is Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship _Voyager_. Do you read me?"

A man's appeared on the view screen. He was tall and muscular, and strength and power emanated from him. A piece of his dark hair swept across his face and accented his clear, blue eyes. He wore a grey jacket with gold buttons and a brocade collar. Perhaps a military uniform? There were no decorations to indicate rank or status, only his air of absolute authority. In an unprepossessing manner, he said, "Captain Janeway, this is Chancellor Aelvin Adinah. Welcome to Elcar."

"Thank you," Janeway responded. "We are on a long journey and wondered if we might be able to orbit your planet for a few days, perhaps allow our crew to take some shore leave, and collect some fresh supplies and food samples."

"I must bring your request to our Ruling Council, but I imagine that you will be welcome here. The Council is meeting this afternoon. Your ship may orbit our planet until I discuss this matter with them."

"Thank you very much," replied Janeway. "I can assure you, we have no hostile intentions. We are simply looking for a bit of rest and a change of scenery."

For the first time in the conversation, Adinah flashed a genuine smile, and his eyes twinkled. "I will encourage the Council to grant your request," he said cunningly. "Have no doubt about that. I, for one, would certainly like to meet you." He emphasized the word "you," just enough to make Janeway's cheeks redden slightly.

"Thank you, Chancellor," she replied. "We will wait to hear more from you after your council meets. Janeway out." Tuvok cut the communication and the imposing figure disappeared from the view screen, replaced by the green, blue and grey swirling atmosphere of the planet.

"I think you were just propositioned," said Chakotay with a raised eyebrow.

"Indeed," replied Janeway, her cheeks reddening slightly more. She then turned to her tactical officer. "Tuvok, what can you tell me about the planet?"

"There are several large cities in the northern hemisphere," he said. "They appear to have a thriving culture, with advanced transportation systems between cities and at least two star bases that I can detect. The northern hemisphere has many lakes and forests, and appears to have a mild climate. The southern hemisphere seems to have a much harsher climate and I can detect very few life signs there. There is significant radiation interfering with our scans of the southern hemisphere."

"Janeway to Neelix."

"Neelix here, Captain."

"Neelix, we've just entered orbit around a planet called Elcar. Have you ever heard of it?"

There was a slight pause over the comm before Neelix replied, "I don't think so, Captain. We're pretty far out of the realm where I spent most of my time."

"You sound hesitant, Neelix," Chakotay said. "Have you heard something about this planet or its people?"

"I'm not sure, Commander," Neelix replied. "You know how childhood stories are, and legends." Janeway and Chakotay exchanged a glance. "You never know what's true, or when the names of races or planets are accurate."

"If you know something, Mr. Neelix, please enlighten us," said Janeway impatiently.

"Like I said, Captain," replied Neelix, "I'm really not sure. I've never heard of Elcar exactly, but I have heard a legend about a planet called Elcarcita. The stories go that Elcarcita is an enchanted world, and those who visit it can find the answers to their greatest questions. But it is a two-sided planet, one side is a paradise, and the other, a living hell, where those who deserve the greatest punishment, are sent. It's a very old legend, Captain. Much like the Earth concepts of heaven and hell. This is one story that I didn't think had much basis in reality. I always thought it was just a religious parable."

"Thank you, Mr. Neelix," said Janeway.

"Glad to be of service, Captain," he replied.

Janeway stared at the planet on the view screen. Chakotay, at her side, said quietly, "Interesting. The northern hemisphere is lush and mild, the southern is hot and harsh. Sounds like heaven and hell to me."

"Complete with God and Devil?" asked Tom Paris, turning around from his seat at the conn. "Which one is Aelvin Adinah?"

...

Captain Janeway sat at the desk in her ready room, pondering the day's events and thinking about Aelvin Adinah. It was not often that she encountered a figure as powerful and imposing – the type of man who turned her head when he entered a room; who exuded power and authority, but calmly, and not threateningly. She was flattered by his obvious interest in her, but his openness about it also made her uncomfortable. She did not want her crew to think of her as a sex object, and did not appreciate being seen that way by the leader of another world.

Janeway had also been scrolling through various myths from different cultures, looking at stories like the one Neelix had told this afternoon of the planet Elcarcita. Almost every culture seemed to have some sort of myth in which those who were good were rewarded in some form of paradise, while evil was punished by eternal damnation. Not every culture shared these myths, but some form of them seemed evident on many worlds and in many societies. It was natural, she supposed, for people to invent stories that provided some incentive to be good and do right, and what better incentive than eternal paradise?

The door to the ready room chimed. "Come in," she said.

Chakotay entered, PADD in hand. "I have the shore leave schedule that you asked me to prepare in case we are invited to the planet." He handed her the PADD.

"Thank you, Commander," Janeway said, glancing down at the schedule. "Please, sit down." She stood from her desk and moved to the sofa. Chakotay sat down next to her. "I've been reading myths this afternoon, Chakotay," Janeway said.

"Oh?" he asked. "Of what sort?"

"Myths about heaven and hell, or other things of that sort. Neelix's story got me thinking. Tell me more about that legend you mentioned last night."

"I don't remember it very well," Chakotay replied, "I heard it when I was very young. It was a story about the eagle, if I remember correctly, and why the eagle flies so gracefully and is so beautiful. At the beginning of time, the eagle was a small, playful bird. He danced in the meadow and sang with the sparrow and the lark. He found a mate, a beautiful female. They were very happy together, and together they made their nest a beautiful place. They underwent great trials together were able to overcome all of them. But one day, his mate disappeared, and the eagle was lost. He could not find his beautiful mate, so he decided to journey across the oceans and the forests until he found her." Janeway was looking at him, rapt with attention. She loved his stories, and the way he told them.

Suddenly, the comm beeped. Janeway blinked, as if coming out of a daze, and Chakotay stopped speaking. "Janeway here," she responded.

"Captain, we have an incoming transmission from the planet," said Tuvok.

"I'll be right there," Janeway replied. She stood up and looked back at Chakotay, realizing she had not heard the rest of the legend. "I guess I'll have to wait to find out what happened to the eagle and his mate," she said, smiling. Chakotay stood and followed her onto the bridge.

"On screen," said Janeway. Adinah's figure appeared once again on the view screen. "Chancellor," Janeway greeted him.

"Captain Janeway," he replied, "our Ruling Council has met and discussed your request. They have agreed to grant you the shore leave you requested, and we also have many markets where you and your crew can trade for other goods and supplies. Several members of my cabinet have agreed to escort your crew and show them around our cities." He paused briefly. "Of course," he continued, "I will be your personal guide."

"Thank you, Chancellor," said Janeway. "My crew and I greatly appreciate your hospitality. We will begin beaming down in shifts, so as not to inconvenience you too greatly."

"Very well, Captain," replied Adinah. "I anxiously await your arrival. Adinah out."

...

The first away team to the planet consisted of Janeway, Tuvok, Neelix and Ensign Harryman. They prepared to beam down to the planet. "Energize," said Janeway to the ensign working the transporter. In front of their eyes, _Voyager_ dematerialized, and when they could see again they were standing in front of a huge fountain that spilled over into a dark blue pool, where orange and gold fish were swimming among tall reeds and giant flowers. Gardens blooming with flowers of every color surrounded the fountain, and grass lawns that seemed perfectly kept spread nearby. Beyond these, snow capped peaks towered above the city. The sky was a light blue with just a tinge of purple. As the away team looked around themselves with amazement, Janeway thought, _This truly appears to be a paradise._ In front of them stood the powerful, calm, six-foot-three figure of Aelvin Adinah. He approached them with a smile. "Captain Janeway," he said smoothly, "welcome to Elcar." Janeway extended her hand, to shake his, but instead, he took her hand and pressed it to his lips.

She withdrew her hand, perhaps a little faster than necessary, and replied, "Thank you, Chancellor."

For the first time, Janeway noticed three other figures standing behind Adinah. He motioned to each of them as he introduced them. "This is Corran Metran, Minister of Transportation." Corran stepped forward; a lithe, small man with bleach blonde hair and thick glasses. He shook each of their hands and murmured a greeting.

Adinah continued, "This is Elise Harcott, Minister of Defense." Elise was a tall, blond woman; not small, but not overweight. She had a large smile and an imposing presence. She greeted each _Voyager_ crew member and shook each hand with a strong, tough grip. Janeway could understand immediately why she had been chosen to defend this world. She imagined that nothing could get past this woman.

Gesturing to the last person in the line, the Chancellor said, "And this is my assistant, Mr. Kelso Ritarez." Ritarez came forward and greeted the visitors. His steps were more timid than those of the others and he seemed to glance at Adinah for approval. In appearance, he was unremarkable, the epitome of average, the type of man you could see a hundred times in a day but never notice; his hair and eyes were dark, and his glance was furtive. He politely greeted the captain and other crew members. "Mr. Ritarez will give your crew members a tour of our city and show them where they can relax, shop and eat," said Adinah. "Captain Janeway, if you will do me the honor of allowing me to escort you?"

Janeway nodded. "Thank you, Chancellor," she said. Ritarez led the way as Tuvok, Neelix and Harryman departed with him. When Janeway and the Chancellor were alone, he offered her his arm, and she took it.

"Please," he spoke, "call me Aelvin." His hand slid possessively over hers as it rested on his arm. "This building," he said, gesturing to a large building near them, "is the central building for our government. It was built two hundred years ago by the men who founded this city."

"Our sensors detected that you have several large cities," said Janeway.

"Yes. This is the capital. It has the largest population of any city on the planet. It is called Elcarthita."

Janeway stopped abruptly. "Elcarthita?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied cautiously. "Have you heard of it?"

"No," she said quickly, instinctively feeling that she should not tell him of Neelix's legend. "I must be thinking of something else. My people are from another part of the galaxy. Perhaps it reminded me of something I've heard there."

He regarded her out of the corner of his eye, but said nothing more about it. He led her through paths, gardens, near pools and fountains. The scenery was breathtaking. "You have a beautiful world," Janeway said.

"Thank you," Adinah replied with a smile. "Wait till you see the center of the city." They walked past the capitol building on a long, cobblestone path lined with flowers of every color. As they turned the corner of the capitol building, the center of the city stood before them. Majestic glass structures towered over smaller, colorful buildings. Purple, green and red laced the skyline. For the first time, Janeway noticed that the planet had two suns, and their combined light glinted with gold on the many windows of the city. Small hovercraft flew through the buildings elegantly, and in the distance, Janeway could see what could only be a large space station.

She did not realize that she had stopped to stare until she felt Aelvin's hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and said simply, "Wow."

He smiled and offered her his arm once again. "Welcome to Elcarthita," he said, "the city where all your dreams come true."


	3. The Party

Chapter 3: The Party

"Tom, look at this," B'Elanna called across the crowded marketplace. She was holding up a small device and gesturing excitedly.

Paris, who was eyeing a stand of delicious-looking pastries, reluctantly turned away from the desserts and moved towards her. "What is it?" he asked.

"It's a mobile replicator," B'Elanna said. "I've never seen one this small before. It's incredible technology." The device was about the size of a pill box, and could be easily carried in a pocket or a bag. The salesman was giving demonstrations, using the device's small buttons to program it to create exotic fruits, vegetables and breads.

"Wow," Tom said. "That would be great to have on away missions." B'Elanna nodded. "We'll have to remember where this stand is." Holding hands, they continued to walk through the market, gazing at jewelry, clothing, pottery and food items.

"What an incredible world," said B'Elanna.

"It reminds me of Earth," replied Tom, "more so than any other world we've visited. It seems like these people have eliminated poverty and war in the same way that the humans on Earth have."

"I know. It's very refreshing," B'Elanna said as they continued to meander through the crowds. Many people greeted and welcomed them with smiling faces.

Tom's communicator chirped. "Mr. Paris, this is Mr. Ritarez, Chancellor Adinah's assistant." B'Elanna had managed to modify their communicators to interface with the planet's communication systems so that they could easily communicate with each other.

"Paris here," Tom replied.

"I've managed to secure that hotel reservation you asked me about," said Ritarez. "You're all set for tonight."

Tom smiled. B'Elanna looked up at him, astonished. "Thank you very much, Mr. Ritarez," Paris said. "I owe you one."

"I'm glad I could be of assistance. Ritarez out."

"Tom," said B'Elanna, "what was he talking about?"

"Oh, just a little something I have up my sleeve. I thought we deserved to enjoy our shore leave together and in private," Tom said with a smirk.

"Don't get too cocky, flyboy," she said, hitting him gently on the arm. They wrestled playfully for a moment before he grabbed her in both arms and kissed her firmly on the lips.

...

In her ready room, Kathryn Janeway pondered her visit to the planet and the strange echoes of Neelix's stories in Elcar's capitol city. Was it possible that there was some secret dark side to the beautiful planet she had so enjoyed visiting? Was it similarly possible that there was another side to the tall, dark-haired, handsome man who seemed to be so enchanted with her? She and Aelvin had walked around the city for hours. He had showed her schools, markets, transportation centers, gardens, residential areas, great science laboratories. In its aesthetic and philosophical qualities, Elcarian society seemed remarkably similar to that of Earth. It was so rare for them to find this in their travels, that it indeed provided a much needed mental, as well as physical, respite.

The ready room door chime beeped. "Come in," she called.

Tuvok entered. "Captain," he greeted her.

"Come in, Mr. Tuvok," she said, gesturing to the seat on the other side of her desk. Tuvok, as usual, remained standing.

"Captain," he said, "I have just returned from Elcar. We have been invited to a formal gathering this evening, a party of sorts, to celebrate the meeting of our races. I met with Minister Harcott and have judged the circumstances to be safe for our crew."

"Thank you, Tuvok," Janeway said. "I'll have Commander Chakotay arrange it so that everyone is able to attend the party at least for a time. Tell me, Tuvok, what do you think of the planet?"

"My experience on the surface was enjoyable," he replied. "Their defense systems seem quite logical, and I believe that as long as we remain near their territory, they will be a powerful ally."

"Yes, they do seem like good people to know, don't they?" Janeway mused. "Will you be attending the celebration this evening?"

"I will attend," said Tuvok, "for a short time."

Janeway smiled and nodded. "Thank you for your report," she said. "Dismissed." Tuvok nodded and left the ready room.

Logical. Safe. Well-rounded. Janeway's thoughts returned again to Aelvin. His direct flattery of her was a little frightening; she was not quite sure what to make of it. It seemed that he had been interested in her from the moment he first saw her, and that made her suspicious of his motives. At the same time, there was no denying the chemistry between them.

The door chimed again, and Janeway knew who was on the other side of the door even before she said, "Come." Chakotay.

He entered, and she gestured to the chair across from her. He sat down, resting one arm on her desk. "You wanted to see me," he said.

"Yes," Janeway replied. "We've been invited to a celebration on the surface tonight. Please arrange the duty schedule so that everyone can attend." He nodded his understanding. "Did you enjoy your visit to the planet?" she asked.

"It's a remarkable world. They have incredible technology, beautiful cities, nice people."

Janeway looked at him carefully. She knew this man and his moods and his feelings so well. He was speaking reticently, as if not wanting to put a damper on her own excitement. "But?" she asked.

He smiled ruefully, realizing that she had guessed the thoughts he did not want her to hear. "I feel uneasy," he said. "I don't have any good reason for it. Tuvok says it's safe, but everything seems just a little too perfect, I guess."

"Aelvin seems to be an excellent leader of his people," Janeway said.

"Aelvin," repeated Chakotay quietly.

A light went on in Kathryn's mind. "You don't like him," she said with a small, astonished smile.

Chakotay sighed and turned his eyes away from her. "I wasn't going to say anything about that," he said.

"Why not?" she asked. Janeway reached across the table and took his hand. "Chakotay," she said, "you're my friend, my most trusted advisor. I always value your opinion."

He looked up at her, his gaze penetrating hers. "I know," he said, "but this time I'm not sure my opinion is founded in any reality." He paused, seeming unsure whether or not to continue, but she looked at him expectantly and squeezed his hand. He went on, "I'm not sure if I'm just jealous."

At this, Janeway laughed, releasing Chakotay's hand. "Jealous?" she asked. "I've known you to be many things, Chakotay, but jealous is not one of them."

"Kathryn," he replied, not laughing at all, "I see the way that man looks at you. From the moment he first saw you on the view screen. As if you were a… a…" Chakotay lowered his eyes, unsure of what to say.

"A what, Chakotay?" She was still smiling. "A sex object?" He looked up at her suddenly, shocked by her frankness. "Chakotay," she continued, "I know. I've seen it too, and while I can't say I find the Chancellor completely unappealing, you can be sure that I am wary of his intentions."

Hearing this statement, Chakotay looked slightly relieved and slightly embarrassed. "I don't mean to question your judgment, Kathryn," he said. "And I certainly wouldn't stand in the way of any relationship that you might want to pursue. I just want you to know that you can always trust me with…" He paused again, awkwardly, and finally finished, "With whatever is on your mind."

She smiled again, this time with true appreciation. "Thank you, Chakotay," she said quietly. "I do know that." Their eyes locked and they shared a glance, both of them attempting to communicate all the feelings they had not expressed in words. "Well," Janeway said, breaking the moment, "I guess we have a celebration to get ready for."

"Aye-aye, Captain," Chakotay replied with a smile. They both stood and left the ready room to prepare for the evening's festivities.

The garden where they had first materialized on the planet had been beautifully decorated for the party. Lanterns and strings of colored lights hung in the trees, candles floated in the ponds, and the fountains were illuminated. Several large tables had been laid out with food and drink of all kinds. A live band played near the still-vacant dance floor as the sun began to set, casting an array of colors across the horizon.

Chakotay took a beverage from one of the tables and handed one to Seven of Nine. "Enjoying the party?" he asked.

"The atmosphere is very pleasant," Seven replied. She was dressed in casual grey slacks and a silky purple shirt. Chakotay had noticed her particularly because it was so unusual to see her in something other than the form-fitting jumpsuits she wore aboard the ship.

"It's nice to see you out of uniform," he said, voicing his thoughts.

"I did not think that my uniform would be appropriate for this occasion," she replied. "And you? Are you enjoying this gathering?"

"It's… very pleasant," Chakotay said with a smile, purposefully echoing her earlier statement.

They saw Neelix approaching them. "Commander, Seven," he greeted them. "Isn't this a lovely party?"

Chakotay and Seven turned to each other with a small grin, and they both turned to Neelix and replied, "It's very pleasant."

Across the lawn from them, Captain Janeway was talking to Defense Minister Elise Harcott. "Commander Tuvok enjoyed meeting with you this afternoon," she said. "Thank you for this lovely party."

"This is our pleasure, Captain Janeway," said Elise with a smile. "It is so rare for us to meet another race that is not hostile, that is interested in maintaining good diplomatic relationships, and that is as technologically advanced as we are."

Janeway nodded. "We are in the same position."

"Also," Elise said conspiratorially, "it is wonderful that you, a woman, are captain of your ship."

This remark surprised Janeway, and she said, "You are in a position of power as well. Is that unusual here?"

Elise shrugged. "I guess I wouldn't say unusual… but not usual either. Most women here make the choice to stay home and be with their families. It's not that they couldn't have other jobs if they wanted to, but many don't."

Shaking her head, Janeway replied, "I'm not sure I could ever settle down that much."

Elise laughed. "I know what you mean," she said. "Besides, all those men need someone to keep them in line." Elise winked, but then her face sobered when at that moment, Aelvin approached them from behind Janeway. "Chancellor," Harcott greeted him.

"Minister Harcott," he replied. His voice sounded cold, but when Janeway turned to look up at him, he was smiling. "What kind of secrets have you been sharing with our guests?" His tone was that of a joke.

"Oh, nothing important," she replied, her own tone light. "We were just discussing what it's like to try and keep men like you in line." They both laughed.

Adinah continued, "Well, if you don't mind, I'd like to steal our guest's company from you for a few moments."

"By all means," said Elise. "I'll see you later, Captain. It's been a pleasure speaking with you." She and Janeway shook hands, and she left the Captain and the Chancellor alone.

Adinah put a firm hand on Janeway's shoulder. Once again, she felt electricity between them, in spite of herself. She remembered her conversation that afternoon with Chakotay, and tried to shake the feeling. "Captain," Adinah said, "may I tell you that you look beautiful this evening?"

"Thank you," she replied, blushing. Out of her normal uniform, she wore a maroon tunic and brown slacks.

Looking at her carefully, and seeing her turn her eyes away from him, Aelvin put a hand gently under her chin and turned her face towards him. "What are you afraid of?" he asked.

"I don't know you, Chancellor," she replied. "I don't know anything about you."

"That's not true," he admonished. "You know that I am the leader of this beautiful world. You've seen the results of my work. Is that meaningless?"

"Of course not," she replied. He slid his hand down the length of her arm until it finally came to rest on her hand. His touch was arousing. Not since her twenties had she encountered this kind of chemistry with another person. He had seen her reaction, and her attempt to hide it, and he smiled.

Clasping her hand in his strong grip, he said, "May I call you Kathryn?"

"Only when I'm off-duty," she said with a smile.

"I guess I can cope with that," he replied. "Let's go get a drink."

From another table on the lawn, Paris nudged B'Elanna. "Look at that," he said, indicating with his head in the direction of the Captain.

"What?" Torres asked, still occupied with choosing an appetizer from the table before them.

"Look!" Tom insisted, nudging her again.

B'Elanna turned around and saw what Paris was indicating. She raised her eyebrows and looked up at him with a conspiratorial grin. "Hey," she said, "even the Captain deserves to have a little fun sometimes."

They watched as Adinah led Janeway by the hand to one of the drink tables and got drinks for both of them. They shared a toast of some kind, and as they walked away from the table, he slid his arm around her shoulders. She seemed to stiffen for a moment, but then he said something to her, and she relaxed against his body.

"This is going to fuel the gossip mill for a while," Paris commented. B'Elanna smirked. He put his arm around her and they walked towards the band. "Wanna dance?" he asked.

Paris and Torres, obviously enjoying the romantic setting, walked by Tuvok, engaged in conversation with Elise Harcott. "Tell me," Tuvok said, "how do the dual suns effect the climate of your planet?"

"As you've seen from your ship," she replied, "our southern hemisphere is essentially uninhabitable. Our second sun, Car, is much hotter and its orbit takes it closer to the southern hemisphere. That accounts for the extreme difference in the climates in the northern and southern part of the planets."

"May I then assume that your first sun is called El?" asked Tuvok.

Elise nodded. "That is how our world got its name," she said.

"Was the southern hemisphere always uninhabitable?" Tuvok asked.

"No," Elise replied. "At least, we don't think so. We've been working on ways to scan through all the interference in that part of the atmosphere. But our scanners have picked up what appear to be remnants of an ancient civilization of some kind. Whatever it is, it must be so old that it existed before written records were taken."

"Do you have written records of your planet's history?" Tuvok asked.

"Yes, we do. In the capitol building, there's a library. I'd be happy to take you there tomorrow."

"Thank you. I think I would enjoy reading more about the development of your world."

Chakotay approached them. "Tuvok," he acknowledged him. Then he turned to Elise. "I don't believe we've officially met," he said.

"I'm Elise Harcott, Minister of Defense." She extended her hand and they shared a warm handshake.

"Commander Chakotay, Voyager's first officer."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Commander," she replied. "I was just telling Tuvok about our library."

"Oh?" Chakotay smiled. For the first time since arriving on Elcar, he felt at ease.

"I've offered to take Tuvok there tomorrow. You would be welcome to join us," Elise said.

"Thank you," replied Chakotay. "I may take you up on that."

The party continued long into the night, filled with eating, drinking and dancing. As the dual suns of the planet set, and darkness fell, the gardens and the lights seemed even more beautiful. Above them, the stars shone, along with the small light that indicated the orbit of the starship _Voyager_. Ensign Harryman met a young woman named Tania, and escaped to a quiet spot by the lake with her. Many other crew members did likewise.

Late into the night, most of the command team said their goodbyes and gave their thanks to whatever Elcarian official they could find, returning to _Voyager_ for the night. Crew members had permission to remain on the planet if they chose, and many did. Some continued to drink and dance into the wee hours of the morning.

Chakotay, having returned to _Voyager_, sat at his desk. He had enjoyed himself at the party, and had particularly enjoyed meeting Minister Harcott, but he still felt uneasy about the whole situation. He had seen Kathryn early in the evening, with Chancellor Adinah, who had been acting very possessive of her, and later in the night, he had not seen either of them at all. He felt a knot forming in the pit of his stomach as he said, "Computer, location of Captain Janeway."

"Captain Janeway is not on board," came the computer's reply.

After a moment, Chakotay realized that his hand had clenched into a fist and he made a conscious effort to unclench it. He did not know what bothered him more, that he was upset, or that he had no right to be. Taking a deep breath, he calmed his mind. There was nothing to be concerned about. She had as much right to have a good time or to meet a wonderful man as anyone else aboard the ship. Perhaps even more so. At the same time, he could not shake the thought that there was something more to his feeling than simple jealousy. Trying to put these thoughts out of his mind, he went into his bedroom and eventually fell into a fitful sleep.

...

_There was screaming. A woman screaming. It was her voice, he was sure of it. He ran down the corridor in the direction of the screaming, but everywhere he ran, he reached a dead end. This place was a maze. Think. You've got to think. Stay calm. Remember what paths you have already taken and you will know where to go. He slowed down. More screaming. His heart thudded in his chest. They can hear my heart beat, it's pounding so hard. They? Who were they? More screaming. Kathryn! I have to find her. He began to run again. Through the maze. This time, he felt more certain of his steps, less fearful. His heart had stopped pounding so wildly. Then he stopped dead in his tracks. The screaming had stopped. He listened carefully. Sweat dripped down his forehead, soaked his clothes. He looked down at himself. Why wasn't he wearing his uniform? Where was he? Suddenly he heard a loud noise, one that made him jump. It sounded like a gunshot._

With a start, Chakotay awoke from his nightmare, drenched in sweat. It took him a moment to realize where he was. He was not in an underground maze. There was no screaming. He was in his bed and his alarm was going off. "Computer, deactivate wake-up signal," he said. Slowly, he got out of bed, wiping the sweat from his brow. It was unusual for him to have dreams that vivid, or that terrifying. The knot in his stomach that had formed the night before had not dissipated.

He took a sonic shower and as he was dressing, the comm beeped. "Tuvok to Commander Chakotay."

"Chakotay here," he replied.

"Commander, please report to the bridge immediately."

"I'm on my way," Chakotay replied. Somehow, he felt that the dream was only the beginning of his nightmare.

He raced down the corridor to the turbolift, instructing it to take him to the bridge. As he stepped out onto the bridge, still zipping his uniform jacket, he barked at Tuvok, "Report."

"Commander," said Tuvok, with a slight edge to his voice, "may I speak with you privately."

Chakotay gestured to the ready room and Tuvok followed him inside. "Mr. Paris, you have the bridge," Chakotay ordered.

"Yes, sir," Tom replied, sensing that this was not the moment for a glib remark.

Once inside the ready room, Chakotay asked, "What is it, Tuvok? It has something to do with the Captain, doesn't it?"

"The Captain has not reported for duty yet today, Commander," said Tuvok. "Her first scheduled shift began over two hours ago. We have been unable to locate her comm badge signal on the planet below."

Chakotay felt the knot in his stomach worsen. "Chancellor Adinah?" he asked.

"I thought it prudent to wait before involving the Elcarian authorities," said Tuvok.

Chakotay nodded. "Thank you, Tuvok," he said. He sat down at Janeway's desk and punched a few keys on the monitor. "Computer," he said, "open a private channel to the surface."

"Channel open," the computer informed him.

"This is Commander Chakotay of _Voyager_, do you read?" he said.

Kelso Ritarez's face appeared on the screen before him. "Commander," said Ritarez smoothly, "how may I assist you?"

"I'd like to speak with Chancellor Adinah," Chakotay said.

"Chancellor Adinah is in an extremely important meeting and I am under strict orders not to disturb him," Ritarez replied.

"Even in the case of an emergency?" asked Chakotay.

"Commander, I am not authorized to disturb the Chancellor under any circumstances." Ritarez's voice was hard as steel. Chakotay could not tell if he was protecting his boss or his own hide.

"Well then get me Minister Harcott. Is she available?" he asked, trying to sound calm.

"Please hold for a moment, Commander." Ritarez's face disappeared from the screen and it went black. Chakotay pounded his fist hard onto the desk once, and then looked up apologetically, realizing that Tuvok was still standing there. Chakotay resumed a more dignified, reserved posture just in time for Elise Harcott's face to appear on the screen.

"Commander," she said with a genuine smile, "what can I do for you?"

"I'm trying to reach Chancellor Adinah," he said. "Mr. Ritarez is unable to reach him, and I was wondering if you could help me get in touch with him."

"I'm sorry," said Elise. "When Chancellor Adinah leaves instructions for no one to disturb him, no one will disturb him for any reason. We all learned that when he first took office." She paused for a moment, studying Chakotay's face. "Something is wrong," she said. "What is it?"

Chakotay glanced at Tuvok, searching for approval or agreement about what to do or say. Tuvok nodded his head slightly, and Chakotay said, "Captain Janeway has not reported for duty, and our sensors are unable to locate her. We were hoping that Chancellor Adinah might know her whereabouts."

"I haven't seen Captain Janeway today," said Harcott. "Let me see…" She paused for a moment and pressed several controls in front of her. "I'm scanning the northern hemisphere for Captain Janeway's life signs," she explained. After several moments she said, "Strange. I'm not picking her up anywhere. Are you sure she's not on board _Voyager_?"

"Yes," replied Chakotay.

"As soon as Chancellor Adinah is available, I will make sure he gets in touch with you," said Harcott. "Please let me know if there's anything else I can do to help."

"Thank you, Minister," said Chakotay. "I'd appreciate it if you'd keep this matter private for the moment. We don't want it to get out of hand. _Voyager_ out." The screen went black and Chakotay turned to Tuvok. "Assemble an away team to search the surface. But keep it quiet. Make sure no one but the away team knows what's going on. I think it's best if we can avert panic for as long as possible."

Tuvok hesitantly said, "Commander, have you considered the possibility that perhaps Captain Janeway is safe and fine with Chancellor Adinah?"

"Missing her duty shift?" asked Chakotay. "I realize that you've known the Captain longer than I have, Tuvok, but I think we both know the likelihood of that possibility."

"Point well taken, Commander," replied Tuvok.

...

There were sounds in the distance – clanging, banging, hitting, cutting. They were harsh, violent sounds; metal upon metal, skin upon skin. There were grunts, moans, yells, screams. Everything was black. Slowly, Janeway realized that she couldn't see because her eyes were closed, and she struggled to open them. As she squeezed her eyelids open, a small beam of light shone in, and she closed her eyes again immediately. She realized her head was pounding, aching. She felt cold and realized that she was laying on something hard. Perhaps rock or stone?

Again, she made an effort to open her eyes, this time moving her hand to shield them from the light. She opened her eyes and slowly moved her hand away, allowing her vision to adjust. Once her eyes had adjusted, she realized that the light was in fact not very bright at all, but was a dim glow from several candles scattered throughout the area.

Janeway moved her hand to the floor. It was stone, cold, hard and unforgiving. Gradually, she moved her hands into a position to prop herself up, and slowly, she brought herself into a sitting position. Her head was still pounding. She looked around, moving slowly. She was in a small room, maybe two and a half meters square. The floor, walls and ceiling were all entirely made of stone. The room had no windows; only a large, wooden door.

She realized that she had no idea how she had gotten here and she tried to remember. She could recall being at the party with Chancellor Adinah, eating, drinking and dancing with him. The last thing she remembered was walking with him away from the party, towards a beautiful lake... And then waking up here. Where was "here," come to think of it?

It was hard to think through the pounding in her head. She wanted the sounds to stop. Even the dim candlelight was too bright. She tried to remember more about the previous evening. She had not had much to drink. Perhaps her drink had been drugged? But if so, by whom and for what purpose? She could think of no reason why anyone on Elcar would want to imprison her.

She felt for her comm badge, but it had been removed. Gingerly, she stood, brushing herself off. For a moment, her head spun, and she almost fell back to the floor, but she slowly regained her balance, and the dizziness dissipated. She walked over to the door, but there were no holes large enough to see through. She knocked on it, gently at first, but then began to pound. "Hello!" she yelled. "Hey! Is anyone there?" After a few moments, she stopped pounding. There was silence.

Janeway scanned the door for any weaknesses, holes, breaks, and she could find nothing. She searched the floor, walls and ceiling as well, but could see no escape routes. Finally, puzzled and uncertain, she sat down on the floor and put her mind to formulating a plan.


	4. Nachtgung

Chapter 4: Nachtgung

Tuvok, Seven of Nine, the Doctor and Harry Kim materialized near the capitol building of Elcarthita. "Spread out," ordered Tuvok quietly. "And remember, we do not want to cause alarm or alert the citizens to our mission. Be discreet. Behave as if you are continuing with a routine scanning mission, or extending your shore leave." The other three members of the away team nodded their understanding. "Ensign Kim, you're with me," said Tuvok. "Doctor, and Seven, start with the northeastern corner of the city and move southward. We will start here and move north."

"Understood," said Seven. She and the Doctor set off in the direction Tuvok had indicated, while Tuvok and Ensign Kim moved the other way.

When they were out of Tuvok's hearing range, the Doctor said, "I'm not sure what Tuvok hopes to accomplish by sending the four of us out like this. Four people can't watch an entire city."

"I believe that Tuvok and Commander Chakotay do not trust the Elcarians," Seven replied. "They do not wish to alert the city of the situation because it is not beyond the realm of possibility that some of the citizens are somehow involved in Captain Janeway's disappearance."

"They seem like a very friendly people to me," said the Doctor.

"Many races seem friendly upon first appearances, but, I believe it is an old human expression to say, appearances can be deceiving."

"Of course," the Doctor replied. "I just find it rather difficult to search for someone without allowing anyone to know that we are searching."

"I agree, Doctor," replied Seven. "Perhaps we should simply think of it as a reconnaissance mission to gain further information about this culture and its people."

Seven and the Doctor continued to wander, asking seemingly idle questions of the vendors they passed. However, nothing seemed relevant to their search for Captain Janeway. When they rejoined Tuvok and Harry later in the day, they found that they had also learned virtually nothing that seemed helpful.

As the four of them made their way back to the transport site, they were walking down a narrow alleyway near the capitol building when Seven felt strong grip on her arm. Startled, she tried to pull her arm away, and found herself facing an old woman dressed in rags, who appeared to be sitting in the alley begging for money and food.

"I am sorry," said Seven. "I have no food or money to give you."

The old woman pulled Seven close. Her physical strength was surprising given her appearance, and Seven felt a twinge of fear. She glanced towards the rest of the away team, but they had continued walking without noticing her contact with the old woman.

"Looking for something, are you?" asked the old woman, pulling Seven's face close to her own. The old woman's skin was wrinkled, and Seven could also see several distinct scars on her bony face. But her eyes were sharp, green, piercing and very aware.

"I am sorry," said Seven again. "I do not know what you are talking about."

"Oh you do," said the woman. "You and your people have every reason to be afraid. Your commander has good instincts, because everything seems perfect, doesn't it?"

Seven just stared. Was this woman crazy? Or did she really know something about Captain Janeway's disappearance?

"You do not trust me," said the woman with a thin smile. When she smiled, she really looked crazy. "No matter. You have no reason to trust me. Perhaps you think I am crazy?"

Again, Seven could not determine the appropriate reply so she continued to stand there, hoping the woman would either tell her something useful or release her.

The woman jerked Seven's hand to bring her ear right next to her mouth while she whispered, "What you are looking for, you will not find it in the light." With that, the woman released her grip on Seven, almost hurling her back. When Seven turned back to look at the woman, she appeared to be a normal beggar woman, with no remarkable characteristics. She noticed simultaneously that Tuvok and the others had stopped and that some Elcarian policemen had also turned the corner to walk down the alley.

"Seven!" called Harry. "Come on!" Hurriedly, she walked towards them. "What happened?" Harry asked.

"Nothing," Seven replied, unsure of what to make of her encounter, especially given the presence of the police in the alley way. "A beggar woman asked me for change. I told her I could not give her any."

Both the police and her fellow crew members seemed to accept this explanation, and Seven and the others continued to walk back to the transport site.

...

Chakotay paced back and forth in front of the Captain's chair on the bridge. The air was thick with unspoken tension. Tom Paris sat at the conn, still, without making a single wisecrack. Finally, Paris turned and said softly, "Chakotay, you've been pacing since the away team beamed down over an hour ago." Chakotay's lips tightened, and he made no reply. Paris sighed and turned back to the conn. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew it was something serious and could only assume that it had something to do with the Captain.

A few hours later, Chakotay was sitting in the Captain's chair. He had long since stopped pacing, but had still not said a word. He sat in the chair, fists clenched and lips tight, occasionally escaping to the ready room for a few moments, only to find he could accomplish nothing there either. The comm beeped and Chakotay sat up straighter in his chair. "Tuvok to Chakotay," he heard.

"Chakotay here."

"We are ready to beam back to _Voyager_," Tuvok said. "We have not been successful."

Chakotay's heart sank and his stomach churned. "Very well, Lieutenant," he replied, trying not to betray his feelings in his tone. "Meet me in the conference room with the rest of the away team. Transporter room," he ordered, "beam the away team up."

A few minutes later, Chakotay was sitting in the conference room with the rest of the senior staff. He had decided it was time to inform Paris, Torres and Neelix of the situation. He explained what little he knew and asked the away team for their report. Tuvok explained their pattern and how they had canvassed the city, and learned nothing.

"So what's next?" asked Paris.

"We have to wait to speak with Chancellor Adinah," replied Chakotay. "Minister Harcott informed me that he is not available and there is no way to contact him. I'm not sure we should try anything else until we speak to him."

"Agreed," said Tuvok.

"What about searching the southern hemisphere?" asked Neelix.

"I don't know if that's possible," said B'Elanna. "Our sensors won't penetrate all the atmospheric interference. I'm not sure if we could survive the conditions walking around down there either."

Seven, who had been quiet throughout the meeting, suddenly spoke. "Commander, I had an encounter on the planet of which I have not yet informed Lieutenant Tuvok."

"What happened, Seven?" asked Chakotay.

"It was just as we were leaving. An old beggar woman stopped me on the street. She told me that she knew we were looking for something, and that we would not find what we were looking for in the light."

"Did you reveal our mission to her?' asked Tuvok.

"I said nothing to her," Seven replied. "When the police came into the alley, she ignored me and would not continue our conversation."

"Commander," Neelix piped up, "I'm sure that this has something to do with the legend of Elcarcita. There must be some relation."

"That may very well be true, Neelix," said Chakotay, "but I'm not sure how that information helps us."

Neelix shook his head. "I'm sorry, Commander," he said. "Neither am I."

...

Kathryn Janeway awoke suddenly from her sleep on the cold stone floor. There was a noise down the hall. It sounded like footsteps. She listened very carefully. She could not hear the screaming she had heard earlier. Only footsteps, steadily echoing. They sounded like they were approaching. Kathryn stood up and brushed herself off. She tried to neaten her hair, attempting to look as much like a starship captain as she could. The footsteps came closer, and finally stopped. She heard a series of clicking noises and thought it must be some sort of lock system.

The heavy door slid open with a grinding noise and revealed a tall man in a severe-looking black military uniform: heavy black leather boots with a steel toe, black trousers and a black tunic that was plated with metal pieces, like armor. The shoulders were covered with black metal, and the man wore a black metal helmet. As she slowly looked up the man's body, Janeway found herself looking into the eyes of Aelvin Adinah.

"Aelvin?" she whispered.

The man standing above her laughed, a cold, harsh sound. "Aelvin Adinah is a pawn in a game, nothing more. You may call me Commandant Zeklar." He paused and added, "If you are able to call me at all." He pressed a button on a small control in his hand, and the door slid shut behind him.

Janeway raised herself up to her full height. "Why have I been taken captive?" she asked. "What is this place? Who are you?"

Commandant Zeklar or Aelvin Adinah, whoever he was, began to pace back and forth along the short length of the cell. "You are being held in Nachtgung, the capitol city of the southern hemisphere of Elcar."

Janeway drew in a short breath. "Our sensors didn't detect any cities in the southern hemisphere."

The Commandant continued, "The Elcarians would like to pretend that we do not exist. They deny our existence completely to offlanders. They treat us as if we are less than them, but in fact, we are greater. We have built our society on top of the ruins of a planet, in the harshest conditions, yet we have built a great culture of warriors and conquerors. The galaxy doesn't know it yet, but soon they will. Soon they will."

"Why have you brought me here?" Janeway asked.

Zeklar smiled at her. Whereas Adinah's smile had been charming and made her weak in the knees, Zeklar's smile sent chills through her spine. It was a smile with no joy, no compassion, no love; instead, it was filled with rancor. "Many reasons," he replied casually. "First, I want your technology. We have limited resources here in the southern hemisphere, and the technology you have on _Voyager_ would greatly assist us in our work."

"And you think that I will give you that information?" Janeway asked.

"I have my methods," replied Zeklar, continuing, "Second, I believe that the only way for the Elcarians in the northern hemisphere to see what is really going on on their planet, is to do something drastic; something that the government can't deny or sweep under the covers, because your Commander," he stressed the word, "will make sure that everyone on the planet hears what is going on, no matter how hard the authorities work to keep it hidden." He paused again and looked Janeway up and down. In that moment, she did see a glimpse of Adinah's mannerisms in him, and she wondered if they were, in fact, the same person. "Third," he said, "it will amuse me to keep you here, to experiment, and to see what it takes to break such a strong woman."

Janeway's eyes widened at this statement. She narrowed her gaze and glared at him defiantly. "My crew will not simply abandon me," she said. "They will not leave this planet until they find out what happened."

"I'm counting on that," he said again, smiling derisively. He pressed the button on the control he kept, and the door slid open. "Vice-Commandant!" he bellowed, "bring those things to me now."

The man who appeared behind the Commandant looked familiar, and Janeway studied him, trying to place where she had seen him before. Her head still ached, and she couldn't quite place him. "Yes, Your Excellency," the man who he had called Vice-Commandant said, handing Zeklar a pile of fabric.

Zeklar presented the pile to Janeway. "You will wear these," he said. "Think of it as a gift, a gesture of my good will."

Incredulous, Janeway replied, "I am not your slave. I will remain in my own clothes, thank you."

He was so quick, she almost didn't see it coming until Zeklar's gloved hand had hit her across the face. Janeway stumbled backwards and tasted blood in her mouth. Those gloves were laced with some kind of metal chain. She could feel the blood dripping down her face, and her head pounded even more than before.

"This is not a choice, Kathryn," he said, spitting out her name as if it were a curse word. "Put on the clothes and then the Vice-Commandant will bring you a nice meal. That will give you some time to think about the proper way to speak to me." Leaving the clothes on the floor, Zeklar and the other man exited, closing the door behind them. As the door was closing, Janeway ran up to it, trying to slip through, or stop it from closing, but it seemed impenetrable.

She slowly sank to the floor, gingerly putting one hand up to her face, trying to see how badly she had been injured. It didn't seem like any of the scratches were too deep. The blood was already beginning to dry. She looked at the clothes the Commandant insisted she wear. They were white robes, almost see-through, with no arms and long slits in the sides of the legs. It might be a nice gown, she mused, in another circumstance. She stripped and tore up her shirt to use as rags to try and wipe some of the blood off her face, patting the wound gently. As soon as she had put on the new clothes, the door slid open and the second man was standing outside with a tray of food. Silently, he handed it to her and left, closing the door again.

Looking around the room, Janeway realized that somewhere there must be a surveillance camera. Otherwise, how would they have known the moment she changed into the other clothes? She sat down again on the cold floor. She was starving. She hadn't eaten in a day, maybe longer. There was no way to keep to track of time in this cell. She began to eat the food, and it was surprisingly good. Perhaps they were trying to win her over somehow. She knew that starving herself wouldn't get her anywhere, so she ate the dinner and sat pondering a way to escape, thinking of her crew and what they might be doing, or what they might have been told. Zeklar kept saying that the government of Elcar would try to hide this. She had to find a way to communicate with _Voyager_, or with the northern hemisphere. She had to get out of this cell somehow.

...

_The screaming. A woman screaming. Kathryn! He looked around at the now-familiar maze of stone corridors. He could barely see, but for the dim flicker of candles. This time he would not panic. This time he would find her. Slowly, he moved towards the sound, listening to the walls, hearing the screams echo through the corridors. This time he would not make a wrong turn. The sounds became louder as he approached, and he began to make out words. "Stop! Why are you holding me here? Don't touch me!"_

_He found himself on the other side of a wall that he was certain comprised one side of her cell. A man's voice bellowed, "You have no power. You think you are strong. You think you can withstand anything, but I'll show you. Women are weak. They have always been weak and will always be. You will submit to me!"_

_"You think you can break me, but you can't. You don't know me. You don't know my crew. They are very persistent."_

_The man's deep voice laughed; it was not a pleasant sound. "Your crew thinks you are dead."_

_"No!" Kathryn shouted. He heard a cracking sound, a dull thud, and then silence._

_It was his turn to scream now. "Kathryn! Kathryn!" But the wall was too thick, she could not hear him and he could not reach her._

_He heard the man's deep laughter again. "Now, you see? It is unwise for you to hold yourself above me." His voice took on a mocking tone._

_He heard quietly but distinctly through the wall, "Get away from me." She wasn't dead. She could still speak. He heard the ripping of fabric. How could he hear that through the thick stone? He heard screaming. "No! Stop! Get away from me!" He heard more ripping, the sound of a slap across a woman's face, the sound of a man's armor falling to the floor. More screaming, and he was no longer sure whether he was hearing the scream or screaming himself. "Kathryn!"_

With a start, Chakotay awoke. He sat up in his bed, ready to jump into action, before he realized he had been dreaming again. He took a deep breath and wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. He closed and opened his eyes, trying to shake the disturbing imagery of the dream. Still breathing quickly, he illuminated his cabin, showered and prepared for the day. He was beginning to feel as if his dreams might have some truth to them. The only times he had experienced such vivid imagery in a semi-conscious state was during his vision quests. These were unlike any dreams he had ever had. Was it possible that someone was trying to tell him something? Kathryn had been gone now for over two days and undoubtedly she was in some kind of distress, or she would never have gone so long without contacting _Voyager_. What was odd was that the Elcarian authorities didn't seem that concerned. Perhaps they thought she was on some type of honeymoon with Aelvin Adinah, who also had yet to reappear. Chakotay knew better than that, though.

"Tuvok to Chakotay," he heard through the comm.

"Chakotay here."

"Commander, Chancellor Adinah has returned to Elcarthita and is available to speak with you."

"I'll take it in my quarters," Chakotay replied, moving towards his desk and illuminating the small view screen that sat there. Adinah's face appeared.

"Commander," he said smoothly, "What can I do for you?"

"Where is Captain Janeway?" asked Chakotay. He had no time or patience for pleasantries.

"I have no idea," Adinah replied mildly. "I have not seen her since the party two nights ago."

Chakotay narrowed his eyes. He had not trusted this man from the first, and he had even less inclination to do so now. "She has been missing since the party," he said coldly. "You were the last person to be seen with her."

"I can assure you, Commander, that at the end of the night we parted. I wanted to escort her back to the transport site but she insisted on going alone. That was the last time I saw her. I'm sorry I wasn't available earlier to discuss this matter with you. I've been in some very important meetings the last few days."

"So I understand," said Chakotay dryly. "So far our away teams have not been able to find any trace of her. I'd like to ask your help in searching for her."

"Of course, Commander," Adinah replied with a smile. "Our police will be glad to assist you in any way they can. Today, I will instruct them to begin searching for Captain Janeway."

"Thank you, Chancellor," Chakotay said. "_Voyager_ out." The view screen went blank and he sat there staring at it for a moment. There was something very wrong in this situation. Chakotay could not figure out what reason Adinah would have for lying, but he was sure that the other man was not being honest about something. Chakotay tapped his comm badge. "Senior staff," he said, "report to the briefing room at 0900."

...

It had been three days since the Elcarian police had joined _Voyager_'s crew in the search for Captain Janeway, and they had made no progress. At least that's what it felt like to Ensign Kim. How could a starship captain simply vanish on a seemingly friendly planet? They had retraced her steps the night of the party and could find no evidence that Adinah was lying, or that he was telling the truth. The Elcarian police had searched the city and the surrounding countryside. No one had seen or heard anything of the captain. As Kim followed Tuvok, once again patrolling the streets, he felt frustrated. What good was one more walk along the same route that they had already retraced over and over for three days?

He stopped suddenly. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw some movement in a nearby alleyway. Turning, he peered toward the alley and again saw a flurry of color. Slowly, he approached the narrow entrance. Before he knew it, he felt a strong tug on his left arm and he was slammed up against a brick wall. He found himself nose to nose with a small, dark-skinned woman. Her hand was tight over his mouth and her arm held him securely against the wall. She was very strong for being so small. She couldn't have been much more than five feet tall, with short, dark hair and dark, intense eyes.

"Don't make a sound," she whispered harshly. "It is imperative that no one sees us." Harry could only nod. "Elise Harcott wants to speak with your commander. Unofficially. Have him meet her at 610 Echo Street tonight at midnight. Tell him to come alone."

And without giving Harry time to say a word, she released him and was gone, leaving him gasping for breath. He tried to remain quiet and look unflustered as he stepped out of the alley. Several meters away, Tuvok was speaking with two Elcarian officers. Thankfully they did not see Harry until he had joined them.

"That's all we have to report, Commander," said one of the officers. "Not much, I know."

"Thank you, Officer Nadrid," said Tuvok. "We will check back with you tomorrow."

"Commander," began the other officer, a kid Harry thought must be younger than him. He was blond with open, honest blue eyes and an innocent expression. "What will you do if you can't find your captain?"

"If we determine that she is dead, we will continue on our voyage," said Tuvok. "That is the logical course. However, we are a long way from making that decision." The kid nodded gravely.

"You'll have to excuse the boy, Commander," said Nadrid. "He just started. He doesn't know the proper protocols yet."

"On the contrary, Officer," said Tuvok. "I appreciate his concern."

This seemed to make Officer Nadrid bristle, and he bid Tuvok and Harry good day and departed with the kid. Harry was still reeling from his encounter in the alley. As soon as the officers were out of hearing range, he said, "Commander, I have to get back to _Voyager_ and speak with Commander Chakotay right away."

"Very well, Ensign," replied Tuvok. "I will accompany you. Tuvok to _Voyager_. Two to beam up."

As soon as they materialized in the transporter room, Harry taped his comm badge. "Kim to Chakotay."

"Chakotay here."

"Commander, I need to speak with you right away."

"I'll be in the ready room," Chakotay replied.

"I'm on my way, Commander." Harry hurried to the ready room and once there stood outside for only a moment before the doors opened.

Chakotay studied him for a moment and said, "Have a seat Harry. You're white as a sheet. What happened?"

Kim told the commander all about his encounter in the alley and delivered the woman's message. Chakotay listened thoughtfully and then called Tuvok to the ready room. He had Kim repeat the story to Tuvok, who also listened quietly.

"Thank you, Ensign," Chakotay said after the second time through the tale. "You're dismissed." Kim nodded and exited the ready room. Chakotay and Tuvok sat silently for a moment until Chakoay said, "Thoughts?"

"Commander," said Tuvok, "I imagine that you will go to this meeting regardless of what I say. But I must remind you that going alone is an extremely dangerous proposition."

"I know," Chakotay replied, "But I think these people may really want to help us. Going down there with a security detail could blow their cover."

"Perhaps we could keep an open comm on you," Tuvok suggested.

Again Chakotay shook his head. "And what if someone really has kidnapped the Captain for some reason and is monitoring our communications." Tuvok nodded in ascent. "I promise I'll contact you at the first sign of danger, Tuvok."

"Very well, Commander." Tuvok was resigned. He had known this would be the result of this conversation as soon as Ensign Kim had told his story, and he could do little to impact whatever may happen next.


	5. The Sisters of Light

Chapter 5: The Sisters of Light

She could keep track of the days only by the dinners with Zeklar. Every evening, his servant would come to fetch her. She would wear the white gown and she was taken to an elaborately decorated dining room, befitting a palace, not a prison. The only prison-like feature of the dining room was its lack of windows. Janeway wondered if Zeklar ever saw the light of day. She certainly hadn't since she arrived here. Nor had she made any progress in her plans for escape. She dreamt of escape. The previous night in her dream, she had attempted escape but Zeklar had caught and tortured her. It had not been a restful night.

It felt like a long time since she had woken up, and she imaged that Zeklar's minion would soon be coming to fetch her. She put on the white garment and waited. Sure enough, the little man with thick glasses opened the door and motioned for her to exit her cell. She followed him, accompanied by two armed guards, down the long, stone hallway. She knew all the twists and turns in the way now. She had made a point of memorizing them, certain it would be useful information later. While she welcomed the opportunity to get out of her cell, Janeway did not look forward to Zeklar's pestering about _Voyager_ or his sexual advances.

As she entered the dining room, she was sure tonight would not be different. The large, wooden table was set as usual with gold plated china, silver and crystal goblets. Large chairs with velvet cushions surrounded the table, which was adorned with candles and a brocaded table cloth.

"My pet," said Zeklar, motioning for his servant to pull out a chair for her. "You look particularly radiant tonight." Janeway glared at him as she took her seat. At her glare, he dropped the pleasantries and ordered the food be brought in. They ate mostly in silence. Janeway was surprised, glad for the lack of pressing questions, but she also became increasingly suspicious. When the dessert was brought out, thin biscuits with a warm, rich sauce, Zeklar finally spoke: "I have a special surprise for you tonight. After dessert, I am going to show you something very exciting; inspiring even."

This made Janeway even more suspicious as she nibbled at the biscuits. What kind of surprise? When they finished eating, servants came to clear away the dishes and the armed guards returned. Janeway wondered where all these people lived.

Zeklar pressed another button on his controller and a door opened at the back of the dining room – a door Janeway hadn't even known was there. She gasped when it opened, unable to help herself, and Zeklar looked pleased. Quickly, she wiped the emotion off her face, but found him still grinning smugly. Zeklar and the two guards led her through the door and she found herself on a metal walkway inside what appeared to be some sort of military complex. The walls, ceilings and corridors were all made of a dark grey metal. There were other levels above and below them, connected by walkways and an elaborate lift system. The cavernous space continued as far as Janeway could see. Zeklar led her through the corridors until they reached what seemed to be a sort of observation deck, lined with glass and overlooking a large bay. Janeway could not help her sharp intake of breath as she peered over the edge of the platform.

Below them were thousands of men – marching, performing military drills, target practice. They seemed to be going through an elaborate training circuit of some kind. They all wore dark grey uniforms similar to Zeklar's but without his adornments. "This is my army," he said. "You may have commanded a starship of hundreds, but I command an army of thousands."

She did not like how he spoke of her command in the past tense, but she fought down the urge to say something inflammatory and instead asked, "What do you plan to do with this army once they've been trained?"

He smiled; a self-contented, self-absorbed expression that for him contained no joy. "Why I've already told you. I will use them to show the rest of this soggy planet who ought to be in power here. I'm going to teach them all the consequences of trying to pretend we don't exist." He muttered quietly under his breath, but then stopped, enraptured by the sight of his army. He turned to her and said, "Come, I have more to show you."

He led her through corridors and up a lift. She tried to keep an accurate map in her mind of where they went and how they got there. They reached another observation deck, this one even larger than the first and overlooking an even larger bay. In the bay rested a large battleship surrounded by several smaller fighters. He gestured to the ship proudly and looked to Janeway for a response, but she gave none.

Suddenly, Zeklar turned to the guards and said icily, "Take her back to her cell. She does not deserve this freedom." Roughly, the guards grabbed her arms. "I'll be right behind you so don't get any foolish ideas, Captain." It was rare for him to use her proper title, but when he did it filled her with fear. He said it not like an honor, but like a curse word.

She was pushed and manhandled back to her cell and the guards stood in the doorway until Zeklar appeared. He had altered his appearance slightly since dinner and now wore a black cape. Janeway also noticed his black gloves glistening. Her face was still scarred from the last time. She stood and faced him. "What did you think of my little display?" he asked.

She allowed herself a small, bemused smile. She understood what he wanted from her. "Nothing," she replied.

He surprised her by laughing in her face. "You cannot possibly think that all my ships and my armies amount to nothing. You are just being contrary."

"I didn't mean I think they are nothing. I mean I do not think of them at all."

Now Zeklar grew angry. "You are being contrary," he said, his tone becoming dangerous. "It is impossible not to think of something when we are having a conversation about it. So I ask you again, what do you think of my ships and my army?" Janeway stood looking at him defiantly. "Did they impress you?" he pressed her. "Do you see how powerful they are?" With each sentence, he raised his voice. "Do you see how powerful I am? I command thousands of men and hundreds of ships. Do you see how strong I am? Do you see?" By this point, he was shouting.

Janeway remained facing him and said calmly, though she knew what was coming, "Power taken by force is meaningless." She braced herself and sure enough the blow came across her face. She stumbled backwards but did not fall.

"Bitch!" he said under his breath. His hand came up to grab her throat and she began to cough and gag under his grip. "This ought to teach you about power, you little bitch. Who has the power now? I hold your life in my hand and if I hold you a little too long or a little too tight you will be dead." He released her.

Gasping for breath, she staggered away from him and managed to say, "But you won't."

"How can you be so sure?" He slowly backed her into a corner of the cell.

Her back hit the wall and she used it for support. Standing up straight, she defiantly looked him in the eye. "You won't kill me," she rasped, "because you need my sanction. You have no real power because you depend on others to give it to you. You know you don't have any real influence and you need me to help you believe your own lies!"

Zeklar grabbed her by both arms, the metal of his gloves cutting into her skin, and pressed his body up against hers. Kathryn flinched, from the pain in her arms and his closeness. She tried to turn her face away from him, but his mouth descended on hers and he kissed her roughly. Her face was throbbing from his earlier blow and she could taste her own blood. She felt paralyzed as he continued to kiss her, trying to evoke a response from her, but she gave him none. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew she needed to fight him, but she had been unprepared for this.

"Boss!" she heard from what seemed like another room but she realized it was only the back of the cell. "Your Excellency!" She felt Zeklar's grip on her arms loosen and he slowly moved away from her. "Your Excellency," the voice said, "it's time for the evening tactical meeting. The generals need you."

Zeklar straightened himself and wiped the back of his hand across his mouth crudely. "Very well," he said. He smiled at Janeway. "It seems you will have to wait to experience the full extent of my power." She shivered inadvertently. "My expertise is needed elsewhere." With a flourish, he left the cell, and Janeway was finally able to see who had saved her. It was Zeklar's assistant, the small man with thick glasses. When Zeklar had left, taking his guards with him and leaving only the small man behind, Kathryn's adrenaline ran out and her knees gave way. She sank to the ground, shaking and breathing hard.

The small man approached her and she shrank back into the corner, unsure of his intentions. But instead of continuing his boss' battery, he took a small cloth out of a bag he wore over his shoulder and knelt down next to her. "This will sting," he said gently, "but you won't get an infection." He dabbed the cloth over her face and arms where they bled. She tried, rather unsuccessfully, not to flinch. He put the cloth away and handed her a small vial. "Drink this," he said. "It will help ease the pain for a little while." She took the vial and regarded it dubiously. "I'm not trying to kill you, Captain Janeway. I'm not that kind of man."

"What kind of man are you?" she asked weakly. He did not answer. She downed the contents of the vial and said, "Thank you."

"Captain Janeway," the man said, "why don't you just tell him what he wants to hear and avoid the beatings?"

"Is that what you do?" she asked. Once again, he did not answer. "This is a mental battle," she continued. "I'd never beat him in a physical battle. We both know that. But this war is one I think I can win."

"Just try not to get killed in the process," the man said, getting up to leave. "Goodnight, Captain Janeway."

"Goodnight," she said as she was again left alone in her cell. Whatever was in that vial was potent stuff. She was already beginning to feel her eyelids become heavy. Just as she was drifting off, her eyes snapped open. She finally realized where she recognized Zeklar's assistant from. He was Corran Metran, Elcar's Minister of Transportation. Before she could puzzle out any more about it, she was fast asleep.

...

Chakotay walked silently through the dark streets of Elcarthita. He had taken the most roundabout way possible, just in case anyone was following him. He ducked into corners and alleyways, making sure no one was behind him. The streets were dark. A few candles glowed in the windows. This was obviously one of the poorest parts of the city. Unlike areas near the capital, which were spotless and groomed, here, litter lined the sidewalks and filled the gutters. Graffiti defaced the alleyways. Chakotay had passed two or three people sleeping on the streets. Perhaps Elcar was not as perfect or advanced a society as Adinah wanted everyone to believe.

Finally, Chakotay turned onto Echo Street and found 610. The house was dark, like the others on the street. It was a small, wooden, one-story building; a modest, well-kept domicile with flower boxes in the windows. It was about as unassuming a place for a meeting as one could find. Before Chakotay could raise his hand to knock on the door, it opened, and Elise Harcott ushered him inside. Putting her finger to her lips, she led him into the small house and through an interior doorway. The doorway led to a set of stairs going down, and at the bottom of the staircase, he could tell there were lights on.

Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, Chakotay found himself in a dimly lit basement office. The walls were lined with maps and charts. There were three computer consoles and what looked like communication devices. Elise finally spoke, "Welcome to the headquarters of the Sisters of Light, Commander."

"Please, call me Chakotay," he said. "We're not on duty here. What is this place?"

"Leya, come meet our guest," she called. From the back of the room somewhere, a young woman emerged. She looked almost like Elise, but shorter, thinner and with longer hair. "This is my younger sister, Leya. Leya, this is Chakotay."

Leya approached him and shook his hand heartily. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Chakotay replied, still gazing around with a puzzled expression.

"I'm sorry, I never answered your question. Please, sit down. Leya, please make us some tea," said Elise. She and Chakotay sat down at one of the tables while Leya went over to a small kitchen area to prepare the tea. "You are sitting in the headquarters of the Sisters of Light, a covert organization which Leya and I founded about five years ago. Our purpose is to prevent what we believe is a coup currently occurring in our government."

"Currently?" Chakotay asked.

Elise nodded. "Currently and secretly. It is a well kept secret on Elcar that the southern hemisphere is inhabited. The original inhabitants were thieves and murderers who were sent there to die, but instead, they survived and formed their own society. We believe that members of that society are trying to take over our government."

"How?"

"By impersonating one us. We do not know them and they are not different from us in appearance. We know that someone at the Records Bureau is involved and is somehow falsifying identification records, but we know very few of the specifics."

"What does this have to do with Captain Janeway?"

Leya brought the tea over and joined them at the table. "We think she's been kidnapped by them and that they plan to use her in some sort of power play," Leya said excitedly. Chakotay did not think she could be much older than nineteen or twenty. "This could be our chance to find out who is involved in the conspiracy."

"So you don't know," said Chakotay skeptically. "Can you be certain of any of this? Do you have any proof?"

Leya immediately went over to some of the drawers and pulled out stacks of documents. "We have evidence of falsified identification records, anonymous memos. They're all mired in so much bureaucracy that it's impossible to trace who sent them to who and when. And…" Leya trailed off, unsure whether or not to continue.

"And our father died under suspicious circumstances as soon as he started asking questions about this," finished Elise. "That's what got us interested."

"So you have a personal interest in this as well," Chakotay said.

"We do," Elise replied. "Our father was the assistant to Dean Selbrook, the Chancellor before Adinah. Dad used to hint at his suspicions of some conspiracy, and five years ago, in Selbrook's last year as Chancellor, he became more suspicious. We think maybe someone tipped him off. He started asking questions, and no one would answer him, so he made some statements to the press, hoping to get a response. Well, he got one. He and our mother were killed in a hovercar crash not long afterwards."

Chakotay nodded. "I'm sorry," he said. "The Sisters of Light. Are there more of you?"

"There are five others," replied Elise. "Tess, who met Mr. Kim earlier is one." She did not name the others and clearly had no intention to do so yet.

"I understand all you've said, but I don't see how any of it helps us find Captain Janeway," said Chakotay.

Leya and Elise exchanged a glance; then Elise took a deep breath and said, "We think that the Elcarians in the southern hemisphere are planning to use her in some way. We want to find her and find out what their plans are." The sisters exchanged another glance. "It's highly doubtful that she's safe down there."

Chakotay felt the ever-present knot in his stomach tighten. "Do you have a plan?" he asked.

"We want to put together a team to go down there," replied Elise. "We have some knowledge of their setup. We have the knowledge, and you have the resources and the technology. The catch, of course, is that no one must know we are gone. For me that is easy. I have some vacation time coming. For you, it may not be so simple. I assume you will be joining us personally, Chakotay?"

He took a deep breath. "I don't know. My security team will advise against that, and it would be difficult to explain my absence to the rest of your government."

"Unless _Voyager_ were to leave," suggested Elise.

Chakotay shook his head. "My crew would not be fond of that idea."

"Unless it just appears as if _Voyager_ has left," interjected Leya excitedly.

"What are you thinking, Leya?" Elise asked. "Leya is the scientist in the family," she explained to Chakotay. "She works at the Science Institute and specializes in technology."

"We have a device that could mask your ship's presence. No one would know you were actually still in orbit."

"A cloaking device of some kind?" Chakotay asked. Leya nodded. "Let me take this back to my crew. It sounds like the best possibility we have, but I have to discuss it with them."

"There's one other thing that might help us, Commander," said Elise. "In the basement of our library, there are some ancient texts that contain some information about the southern hemisphere and its history. Perhaps some of your crew would be interested in taking a look?" Chakotay nodded. "I'll contact you over official channels to arrange it," continued Elise.

"And how should I contact you once I've discussed your proposal with my senior staff?"

"Meet us at these coordinates in forty-eight hours if you intend to proceed. All the Sisters will assembled then," said Elise, handing Chakotay a small piece of paper with a set of coordinates scribbled on it.

Chakotay nodded and for the first time remembered the tea sitting in front of him. He took a sip but it was no longer hot. "I should go," he said.

"I'll show you out." Elise stood and escorted him up the stairs. "Thank you for trusting me," she whispered as he slipped out the door and into the night, not looking back.

...

B'Elanna and Tom entered the conference room together the next morning and the first thing B'Elanna noticed was Chakotay's face. He looked as if he hadn't slept in days. Suddenly she felt Tom pinch her arm, and she realized that she had been staring. She and Tom sat down as the other officers filtered into the room and took their seats.

When everyone had arrived, Chakotay began wearily. "Last night, I met with Elise Harcott, not in her official capacity, but as a member of an underground organization called the Sisters of Light. Elise and her sister founded the group after their father died under suspicious circumstances. The group's function is to investigate a covert government coup being perpetrated by the inhabitants of the southern hemisphere."

"I thought there were no inhabitants of the southern hemisphere," said Tom.

"Apparently they're Elcar's best kept secret," replied Chakotay.

"What does this have to do with us?" B'Elanna asked, although she was beginning to guess the answer.

"The Sisters believe that Captain Janeway is being held hostage as a pawn in some sort of power struggle. They want to mount a rescue operation."

Tuvok raised one eyebrow. "What is their plan?"

Chakotay explained the plan that he and the sisters had discussed, a plan which he had pondered and solidified in the wee hours of the morning after returning from his meeting. He would tell Chancellor Adinah that they had given up on their search and were leaving Elcar. Using the device from Leya, they could remain in orbit undetected while he joined the Sisters in their rescue attempt. If they had not returned within a designated time period, _Voyager_ was to leave orbit and continue on its journey toward the Alpha Quadrant. When Chakotay finished, the room was silent for several seconds.

Tuvok was the first to speak. "Can you vouch for the credibility of Minister Harcott's information?"

"No," replied Chakotay, "But it's all we have. That's why I'm going alone."

"I do not advise undertaking this venture," Tuvok replied. "If you are not successful, who will command _Voyager_?"

"You will," Chakotay replied. "But we will be successful."

"I did not think I could dissuade you. At least, may we persuade you not to go alone?"

"Depending on how many people we need, I will accept volunteers," Chakotay acceded, "But I will not order anyone to go on this mission."

"I volunteer," said B'Elanna.

"Me too," added Tom.

"I think any of us would gladly volunteer for this one, Commander," said Harry. Around the table, everyone nodded. One side of Chakotay's mouth curled up almost in the form of a smile. There was something to be thankful for.

"Thank you," he said. "Elise also mentioned some archives in the Elcarian library that might be of interest to us. Tuvok, Seven and Neelix, I'd like to arrange for you to take a look at them." Each nodded their understanding and acceptance. Chakotay continued, "Very well. I will meet with the Sisters again in less than forty-eight hours and we will proceed from there. Dismissed." Forty-eight hours. The clock was ticking. For all he knew, Kathryn could already be dead. Yet somehow he was certain that she was still alive.

The officers filtered out of the room, but Torres remained behind. Chakotay sat back in his chair, waiting for everyone to leave, but he looked at her and realized that she wasn't leaving. "Yes?" he inquired.

B'Elanna moved over to him and sat down, putting her hand on his arm. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

"About what?"

"Why you aren't sleeping," she replied. She had seen him like this before, a couple of times, when they were in the Maquis together.

"I am sleeping," he said. "Although I didn't last night. By the time I got back there was no point."

"Chakotay, I know you," said B'Elanna softly. "You look the way you looked when we couldn't find Mendoza and he'd been captured by Cardassians."

"I'm not lying to you. I have been sleeping. But I've been dreaming too."

"Dreaming?" she asked.

"If you can call it that," he replied. "They don't feel like normal dreams. They almost feel real, like when I'm in contact with my spirit guide."

"What do you dream?" asked B'Elanna. Inwardly, she felt the reversal of this moment. Usually he was the one comforting her.

Chakotay spoke haltingly. "There is a series of corridors, a maze. Everything is made of stone. I can hear a woman screaming, and I know that it's Kathryn. I am running through the maze to try and find her, but when I get there, there is a stone wall between us and I can't get through. Two nights ago..." He stopped, clamping his jaw shut.

B'Elanna tightened her hand on his arm. "What happened?" she asked. She could see Chakotay fighting with himself. He was fighting the images in his own mind, not wanting see them; he was fighting his weakness, not wanting to show it to her; and he was fighting his own anger as it threatened to explode. She released her hand on his arm and backed away slightly.

The inner battle raged inside of him until he stood abruptly and slammed his fist down on the table. "Dammit, B'Elanna!" he exclaimed. He braced himself on the table and hung his head, breathing deeply and trying to regain his self control. His knuckles were white as he gripped the table's edge. His body was shaking with tension. He slammed his fist down on the table one more time, and the table shook with the force of his blow. Finally he bit out the words, with a quiet fury that could barely be contained. "They were torturing her. In my dream. A man was torturing her, and I couldn't do anything. I couldn't get to her. I couldn't stop it." Slowly, the tension of anger was released from his body. He slid back down into his chair and put his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking. B'Elanna went over to him and put her arms around him, pulling his head close to her chest and cradling it, stroking his hair.

"It's okay," she said. "That was just a dream. It was just a dream."

...

Seven looked up at the large stone pillars of the Elcarian library as they loomed in front of her. The building, comprised of white marble, stood the length and width of a city block. She had never been inside a real library before, at least not in her memory, and was glad that Chakotay had given her this assignment. Tuvok and Neelix were behind her as Minister Harcott showed them through the front door. They had to go through a security procedure before entering into the main hall of the library. After passing through security, they stepped into the main hall. Its domed ceiling was capped with an intricate stained glass portrait that portrayed the sun on one side and darkness on the other. Starships in between the two were engaged in what appeared to be an epic battle. Behind her, Seven heard Neelix draw in a sharp breath.

"Yes, it's breathtaking, isn't it?" said Harcott.

"It's not that," said Neelix, "although by all means, it is beautiful. It's just that I could swear I've seen that picture somewhere before."

The minister's face became puzzled as well. "This is the only copy that I know of," she said. "Do you know where you might have seen it, Mr. Neelix?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. But I'm sure it will come to me."

Beneath the stained glass, thousands more windows lined the walls. A spiral staircase ascended the center of the room, and an automated lift went up the center of the spiral. "This building was built before much of our technology was created," explained Harcott, "so we decided to integrate the old with the new." Shelves of books surrounded them as well. Seven thought there must be thousands and thousands of volumes, all contained in this room. It seemed like such an archaic and inefficient way of storing data.

"Curious," said Tuvok, voicing Seven's thought, "that despite your technological advances, you still continue to store data in this manner."

"Most of the books can also be accessed through our central computer system, and we have a number of portable computers upstairs for people who want to come here to read, or who don't have a computer at home. But in addition to being an information storage facility, this building is part of our history. We think it is one of the oldest buildings on Elcar. We don't actually know when it was built. Much of our information and history was lost after the Great War, but we estimate that this building is about 1000 years old."

"When was the Great War?" asked Neelix.

"It ended five hundred years ago," replied Minister Harcott. "It was a very dark time in our history." She paused, before continuing. "Come on, I'll show you the rest of the building."

Quickly, Harcott walked them through the computer rooms, the research facilities, the periodicals, newspapers and reading rooms of the library. Finally, she took them down a small staircase at the back of the main floor. They walked down the staircase into the basement, and found themselves in a dusty, disorganized room. The room contained several bookshelves as well as tables that were also covered with books. These books looked very old, and many were missing covers, or pages. Everything in the room seemed to be covered with dust.

"I am curious," said Tuvok, "why a government which is so concerned with maintaining the history of its people, would want these books to disintegrate here in this basement, while others are so well preserved."

"That's the question, isn't it, Mr Tuvok? If you asked anyone officially, they would tell you that they simply haven't gotten around to restoring them, that these books just slipped through the cracks, that they're getting to them."

"And unofficially?" Seven asked. In reply, Harcott just looked at her, as if to say, _You can figure that out for yourself_.

"Well, I have to be getting back to official business. You can spend as long as you'd like in any room of the library you wish. It closes tonight at 2200."

"Thank you for the tour and for your assistance, Minister Harcott," said Tuvok.

"Yes, thank you," added Neelix. If she knew that they were thanking her for more than a tour of the library, she didn't show it, and walked up the stairs as if it were an ordinary day.

Seven looked around herself at the hundreds of dusty books strewn about the room. "This is a daunting prospect, Commander," she said. "How should we proceed?"

"I would suggest that we start looking at the books, one by one," Tuvok replied, picking up the nearest book and opening to the Table of Contents.

"But Tuvok, what are we looking for?" asked Neelix.

"I do not know, exactly. Anything that seems relevant. I would look for any information you can find about the history or inhabitants of the southern hemisphere."

...

Chakotay sat on the bridge, drumming his fingers on the arm of the Captain's chair. Not his chair. Hers. And he was painfully aware of that every time he sat in it. "Ensign," he said to the young man currently occupying Tuvok's station, "hail Chancellor Adinah."

In a few moments Kelso Ritarez's face appeared on the screen. "Commander Chakotay," he said smoothly, "what can I do for you?"

"I would like to speak with Chancellor Adinah," Chakotay said.

"The Chancellor is not available at the moment. May I take a message?"

"When do you expect him to return?"

"The Chancellor is engaged in important government business," began Ritarez, but he must have seen something in Chakotay's face, because he hurriedly added, "But I expect him back later this afternoon."

"Please have him contact me as soon as he arrives. We plan to leave orbit soon, and I wish to discuss it with him." _There, that should get his attention_, thought Chakotay.

"Very well, Commander, I will relay your message," Ritarez said. "Elcar out." His face disappeared from the view screen.

Chakotay stood. "I'll be in the ready room," he said, and left the bridge. When the ready room doors closed safely behind him, he clenched his fists and resisted the urge to hit the wall or smash the desk to pieces. Who were these people? Why were they playing around with him like this? Where had they taken Kathryn and why were they pretending not to know anything about it? He sensed deception in their every communication. The only person who seemed real was Elise.

Chakotay began to pace back and forth across the ready room. He clenched and unclenched his fists, fighting his anger. He tried to breathe deeply. He needed to center himself, to calm himself. He needed to contact his spirit guide before he went to meet the Sisters again.

...

Book after book lay discarded on the floor, or returned to the shelf. Neelix felt like they had been at this for hours, and there was no end in sight. He picked up yet another old, decrepit book; its binding breaking and its pages worn. He opened it and saw that it was a children's book, with bright, colorful illustrations. What could be threatening about a children's book? He began to page through the pictures. It seemed to be a legend about a hero fighting an evil adversary. Neelix chuckled as he looked at the brightly colored illustrations.

Suddenly, Seven said from the other side of the room, "Commander, I believe I have discovered something." Neelix and Tuvok dropped the books they were looking at and went to Seven's side. She showed them the book she had been reading. It was entitled _A History of Elcarcita_.

"Elcarcita!" exclaimed Neelix. "Now I'm sure it's the same place I've heard about."

"How could stories of this planet have traveled all the way to Talax from here?" asked Tuvok. "That is a distance of over ten thousand light years."

"I may have the answer, Commander," replied Seven. "According to this book, a major civil war occurred on this planet around five hundred years ago. It was a war between the industrial society of the northern hemisphere and the agricultural society of the southern. The northern hemisphere, possessing superior technology, won the war. The survivors of the southern side who would not submit to northern rule were either forced into labor camps or exiled on ships that would take them to distant worlds. It is possible that some of those exiles came near to Talax, and that is where the legends came from."

"How old is this book?" asked Tuvok.

"It appears to have been written only a hundred years after the conflict occurred," replied Seven. "It is clearly biased in favor of the northern perspective."

"Scan and download the contents of this book for further study," said Tuvok.

"I've found supporting evidence of that book, sir," said Neelix. "There is a children's book that describes a great conflict between a hero from the north and his enemy from the south."

"It does seem that for some reason this is a part of Elcarian history that the current government wishes to keep hidden for some reason," said Tuvok.

"Yes," Neelix agreed. "But why?" To this, neither Tuvok or Seven could offer an answer. As Seven continued her downloads, Neelix went back to the shelf he had been going through. A black book with a gold title on the binding caught his eye. It was entitled _Instances of Telepathic Communication Among the Elcarian Species_. He took it off the shelf and began to read. It was not long before he said, "Mr. Vulcan, I think you should see this!"

Tuvok came over and looked at the book. It described documented occasions of telepathic communications between Elcarians. "None of the Elcarians have said anything about telepathic communication," said Tuvok. This statement got Seven's attention as well, and she looked up from her task.

"Perhaps it was an attribute of Elcarians from the southern hemisphere?" she posed.

"Perhaps," replied Tuvok. "Does the book elaborate?"

"It doesn't seem to speculate on the origins of the telepathy," replied Neelix, thumbing through the pages. "It seems to be a study of three separate cases of telepathic communication. Two are among Elcarians and the third describes telepathy with another species, called the Gadrin."

"The contents of this book should be downloaded as well," said Tuvok. "I do not know how this will help us, but it does merit further analysis."

...

"Akoocheemoya… Though I am far from the land of my fathers…" Chakotay began, as he felt himself sink into the spirit realm.

_Chakotay looked around. His spirit guide normally met him in a forest or some other sort of natural locale, but he found himself in the stone corridors of his nightmares. He began to walk down the hallway and his spirit guide met him as he turned a corner._

_"Why have you brought me here?" Chakotay asked, "To the place of my nightmares? I have come to you for help, not for more pain and fear."_

_"You have come to me for help, Chakotay, and that is what I will provide." When he heard his spirit guide, it was not like hearing an external being, but like hearing a voice inside his head._

_"I have lost my ability to find peace," Chakotay said._

_"Yes," said his spirit guide, "you are angry. You must let go of your anger and focus on the task ahead. If you want to regain your peace, you must find the one who helps you feel it."_

_"Kathryn," he said. "I know I must find her. That is where I am going."_

_"Yes, Chakotay. The task you face will be difficult, and you must not let your anger prevent you from seeing the way. This is where you will find her. It is the place of your nightmares, but it is also the place where you will find your peace. That is why I have brought you here."_

_His spirit guide led him further down a corridor, around a corner, and through a series of tunnels. He knew that he had seen all these corridors and tunnels before, in his nightmares, but he had never taken this path before. Finally they reached a large, wooden door, and his spirit guide stopped and looked at him. He stared at the wooden door and…_

Chakotay's eyes flashed open. What had his spirit guide wanted him to see? The door? The path? And what had his guide meant when she said that he would find Kathryn there. Was it a metaphor or was she trying to tell him that the maze of corridors was a real place – perhaps that his nightmares held some semblance of truth as well? His guide was right about one thing; he had to put aside his anger, it would only cloud his judgment. He did feel a bit more centered.

"Tuvok to Chakotay," he heard over the comm.

"Chakotay here. Report, Lieutenant." He folded up his medicine bundle and got to his feet.

"Commander, we have some very interesting findings to report to you based on our research at the Elcarian library."

"Very well. Meet me in the briefing room right away. Chakotay out."


	6. En El Hemisferio Sur

Chapter 6: En El Hemisferio Sur

"My crew and I deeply thank you for your assistance in the search for Captain Janeway, but we cannot remain here any longer. You will be able to reach us over the next several weeks via long range communications should any further information about her disappearance come to light," Chakotay finished. Although he knew they would be returning immediately, even allowing the Elcarians to think he would leave Kathryn here on the planet left his stomach in knots.

Chancellor Adinah smiled kindly. "Of course, Commander. I and my people wish you all the best in your continuing journey."

"Thank you, Chancellor. _Voyager_ out." Chakotay was at least thankful not to have to deal with that man again. As soon as the screen went black, he ordered, "Prepare to go to warp. Engage." After a few minutes, he spoke again, "All stop."

"All stop," responded Paris as the ship came out of warp.

"Engage clocking device," ordered Chakotay.

"Cloak engaged," replied Tuvok.

"Chakotay to Torres. Have you completed those shuttle modifications yet?"

"Yes, sir. We're ready to go."

"Tom," Chakotay said. "Set course for Elcar, warp five, and engage." The ship jumped back into warp, and a few minutes later, Tom replied, "We've reentered orbit around Elcar, sir."

"How is the cloak holding up, B'Elanna?"

"It's working so far," Torres replied.

"Excellent. Mr. Paris, change into civilian attire and meet me in shuttle bay two." Chakotay had decided that only Tom would accompany him and the Sisters on the mission.

"Yes, sir," replied Paris, standing up as an ensign took the conn.

"Commander," said Tuvok, stopping him. For a moment he thought the Vulcan was going to object, but instead he said simply, "Good luck."

"Thank you, Tuvok," replied Chakotay. "Remember, if we do not return in five days, your orders are to take the ship out of orbit and continue on your journey towards the Alpha Quadrant.

"I understand, sir."

When Chakotay and Tom reached the shuttle bay, B'Elanna was there waiting for them. "Your shuttle is all ready," she said.

Tom went to her and pulled her close. He kissed her lips and said, "See you in a few days, sweetheart." She nodded, but was clearly not as confident as Tom. She kissed him a second time, more fiercely than the first, then let him go.

Chakotay laid his hand on B'Elanna's shoulder. "I'll bring him home," he said. "I'll bring them _both_ home."

She nodded. "I'll see you in a few days," she said.

Chakotay turned and boarded the shuttle. They initiated their own mini cloaking device and launched. "Set a course for these coordinates," Chakotay ordered, giving the designated meeting coordinates to Tom.

"Aye, sir," Paris replied, and before long they landed on Elcar. After checking for nearby life signs and finding none, they exited the shuttle craft and found themselves on the outskirts of a forest. The followed the directions Elise had given them and soon found themselves in front of a small cabin. It was very similar to Elise's house, but more rustic looking, older. Chakotay and Tom approached the door and knocked.

Elise greeted them with a small smile, but her demeanor was grave. "Chakotay," she said, "we're glad to see you."

"Elise," he replied, "this is Tom Paris. He'll be accompanying us on the mission."

She nodded and showed them in to the main room of the cabin. Three other women were in the room and they all stood when Chakotay and Paris entered. Elise introduced them one by one. "This is Tess." A small, dark-skinned woman stepped forward. She had short black hair and dark eyes. Paris recognized her from Harry's description. "Selanna" Another woman came up to greet them. She was taller than Elise with flowing red curls and bright green eyes. "And Mira." Mira's skin was also dark, but her hair was blond – almost white – and her eyes were a piercing blue. "Girls," Elise continued, "this is Chakotay and Tom Paris from _Voyager_." They murmured hellos and all sat down.

Elise took the lead and explained their plan of attack. "We have obtained maps of a series of underground tunnels that lead to the southern hemisphere. Each team member will be able to take one pack of supplies – whatever he or she can carry. We do have a site-to-site transporter that can take us close to the southern hemisphere. Our journey on foot to what we assume is their base should take less than a day."

"And once we get there?" asked Tom.

"We'll split up into two teams," said Elise. "I'll take a team to try and find the command center of the base, to try and find out what they are planning and who is behind it, and Chakotay, you'll take a team to look for Captain Janeway."

Chakotay nodded and stood. "Let's go," he said.

...

_Kathryn felt sunshine on her face and opened her eyes. She was lying in a bed, and it seemed familiar somehow. The room was white, and there was a small window letting the sunshine in. The "wall" next to her bed was not a wall, but a frosted glass partition. Slowly, she stood up and looked around. Her sleeping area seemed to be only one small part of a larger abode, and she went out to explore it. Upon exiting the bedroom she suddenly realized where she was. It was the house she and Chakotay had lived in on New Earth. She ventured outside and smiled as she felt the sun on her face. A cool breeze blew through the trees and the grass. She realized that she was only wearing a nightgown and she shivered._

_Just at that moment, she felt a pair of strong arms encircle her shoulders from behind, and heard Chakotay's voice in her ear, "Good morning." She leaned back up against his chest and he held her tighter._

_"Good morning," she said with a smile. "What's for breakfast?"_

_"Have I become your personal chef now, Kathryn?" he teased._

_She laughed. "You're far superior to Neelix."_

_He released her and she turned to face him. "Get dressed," he said, "and breakfast will be ready by the time you are. Including your coffee."_

_"Okay," she said, but as he turned to go she grabbed his hand and he faced her again. "Chakotay."_

_"What?" he asked, his eyes searching hers._

_She tugged his hand and he took a step closer to her, his eyes never leaving hers. She looked into that dark, intense gaze and allowed him to see everything in her eyes at the same time. They remained there for perhaps a full minute, communicating all they needed to say wordlessly. She broke the moment by squeezing his hand and saying, "It better be good coffee!" With that she was off to her room to get changed. As she was dressing, she heard a loud crash in the kitchen..._

Janeway started awake. She extended her arms, trying to remember where she was. This was not New Earth. There was no soft bed, and there was no sunlight. Suddenly, the events of the previous night came crashing back into her mind. Her hand went to her neck and she gently touched the bruises where Zeklar's hand had held her. Slowly, she sat up. Her head was pounding and she felt as if she was about to vomit. She lowered herself back to the ground and took slow, deep breaths, trying to quell the urge. Eventually it subsided and she was able to sit up again. She braced herself against the wall and remained seated.

Her thoughts drifted back to her dream. It was the first time since her arrival here that her dreams had not been of escape, attempted escape or torture. It had seemed so real. She almost felt better, as if she had actually seen Chakotay and he had comforted her. She knew that was impossible, but was grateful for the feeling. She closed her eyes, wanting to bask in that feeling as long as possible, to draw strength from it. Perhaps it did mean something. Perhaps it meant he was coming for her.

Yet she knew she could not count on that. She had no idea what had been said or what was known of her disappearance in Elcarthita. Perhaps he had been told that she was dead and had left. Yet she was certain he would not give up so easily, nor would Tuvok, or the rest of the crew. They would not leave her behind unless they had incontrovertible proof of her death.

She turned her mind to thoughts of escape. She had to be ready for Zeklar next time he tried to pull a stunt like that on her. She would not accept it again. Next time, she would be ready. And what of Corran Metran? Would he be willing to help her? Or would he only go so far as to prevent her from dying? Zeklar never came with more than two or three guards. Was there any way she could overpower them all? Or perhaps she could let him seduce her, if it allowed her to get the door control from his pocket? But how long could she remain in control of a seduction scenario and how far would Zeklar go? She had the feeling after his uninvited display last night that sexual innuendo would not leave her with much physical control of the situation. No answer seemed obvious to her, and she felt that escape might be impossible without help from someone. She had to hold onto the thought that her crew would somehow find a way to help her.

...

Chakotay felt a bead of sweat trickle down his face. The tunnel was hot and dark. Apparently, these tunnels had held an ancient transportation system, hundreds of years ago, when people regularly traveled back and forth between Elcar's two hemispheres. The tunnels had been abandoned for hundreds of years and artifacts were scattered throughout them. Chakotay shone his flashlight into the darkness. "How much farther until we reach their central command?" he asked.

"According to my maps, it's not much further," said Elise. "Just around this corner to the…" She abruptly cut off. They distinctly heard a noise, and it sounded like it was approaching. Chakotay gestured hurriedly for them to fall back to a safe place. There was an abandoned structure not far behind them, and they sprinted for it, hiding inside. The sound was indeed approaching them, and peering discreetly out of an opening in the structure, Chakotay could see some sort of hovercraft maneuvering quickly past. When it had safely passed, they stood and emerged back into the tunnel.

"Yep, looks like we're getting close," Paris commented wryly.

"Stay as close to the walls as you can," Chakotay ordered the team. "Elise, do you have a plan to stay hidden once we reach the command center?"

Vaguely in the darkness he could see her nod. "This system of tunnels extends underneath the whole command center. We're hoping that they're not using all of it."

"Hoping?" asked Paris dubiously.

"We couldn't get any intelligence about that. So we'll just have to improvise when we arrive," Elise replied tersely. They continued down the corridor without further incident.

"It doesn't seem like there's a lot of traffic," Chakotay commented quietly.

"We think they try to avoid as much travel as possible," said Tess. "Helps them avoid detection."

"At least there's one thing working in our favor," said Tom, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Does anyone else feel like it's getting hotter in here?"

Selanna took a scanning device out of her bag and began to scan the area. "It's definitely getting hotter, and there's some sort of massive power source up ahead. It must be a generator of some kind."

As they moved closer to the power source and the temperature continued to rise, Chakotay and Tom removed their outer jackets and continued on in their grey undershirts. The women were already dressed in light clothing, but all of them were sweating profusely.

"There's not any way to go around this thing, is there?" asked Paris.

"Actually, according to our maps," Mira replied, "the easiest way to access the command center is directly ahead."

_"Inside_ the generator?" asked Chakotay.

Mira shrugged and answered, "We'll see."

They kept pressing forward, the sweat dripping down their faces. They could hear the hum of the generator and the noise became increasingly louder as they approached it. The heat was becoming unbearable. Chakotay knew they needed water, but they would have to wait to get inside before they could stop. He saw Mira sway on her feet and catch the wall. "Are you ok?" he asked. She nodded and stood again.

Elise, who was now in the front of the group, motioned for them to press forward. She was pointing to the wall, and it took Chakotay a few moments to catch up with her so he could see what she was pointing at. It was a small door in the wall. It had two handles, and Elise began to pull on them, but hard as she would pull, the door would not budge. Chakotay motioned to Tom to join him, and the two of them managed to pull the door open. They stumbled backwards from the force of the pull, but they could see a small corridor, similar to a Jefferies tube, in front of them. Chakotay could feel a cool breeze emanating from the corridor. Elise entered, the other women followed, and Chakotay and Tom went last, closing the door behind them. They all collapsed against the walls of the corridor, breathing hard and wiping the sweat away from their eyes.

After a moment, Tom looked around. "Looks like a system of Jefferies tubes," he said. Chakotay nodded.

"Now is where it gets interesting," said Elise, "because our map is basically useless from this point."

Selanna took two small cylinders out of her bag, and handed one to Chakotay. "This is a communication device," she said. "It should work even in the atmosphere down here. It will allow us to stay in communication with each other."

"The Sisters and I will look for central command and try to find out as much as we can about what is going on here. Chakotay, you and Tom go look for Captain Janeway."

"Where do we look?" asked Tom.

Chakotay suddenly sat up straight. Despite the sweat still pouring down his face and back, he felt a chill go down his spine. "I think I know," he said. Tom gave him a strange look and he shrugged. "I can't explain it, Tom," he said, "but I think I know where she is." Tom and Elise both looked at him strangely then, but he didn't seem to notice, intent on something deep in his mind.

They crawled through the tunnels for many minutes without reaching a turn or a fork. "This place must be huge," Paris whispered. Mira, behind him, nodded gravely, her eyes wide. Paris gave her a reassuring smile, and, weakly, she returned it. Chakotay was leading them now, pausing every now and then to listen for sounds outside the corridor, but so far they had heard none. They must be on the very outskirts of the compound, Paris thought. Or perhaps the place was deserted. Or they were in the wrong location altogether. They wouldn't know until they got out of these tunnels.

Suddenly, Chakotay stopped, bringing everyone behind him to a halt as well. Paris rose up on his knees to peer over Elise and see that they had reached a fork in the tunnel system. Chakotay studied it for a moment, as if looking at it longer would somehow give him more information about their location. He gestured to the tunnel on the left and said, "This way. I think the prison is this way."

Tom had stopped asking Chakotay how he knew these things, and Elise seemed to accept his intuition as well. "I think this is where we split up, then," she said. She and Chakotay exchanged a long glance and she said, "Good luck."

"You too," he replied.

"We'll contact you as soon as we have more information," said Elise. She paused for a moment. "If you attempt to contact us and we don't respond, don't come looking for us. Find your Captain and get out. Either we're dead or imprisoned, and we'll find our own way if we can."

Chakotay nodded. "I hope it doesn't come to that."

"Likewise," said Elise. "Well, we'll be in touch." They clasped hands and each went their own way, Tom following Chakotay to the left and the Sisters following Elise to the right.

"I sure hope you know what you're doing," Tom muttered, as they continued to crawl. As soon as the statement left his lips, he regretted it. He opened his mouth to apologize but realized that Chakotay had stopped and that his face was as white as a sheet. "What's wrong?" Tom asked, reaching over to put a hand on the other man's shoulder.

The touch seemed to wake Chakotay from his momentary daze, and his eyes refocused as his face regained its color. He shook his head and said, "Nothing. Let's keep going." Tom nodded, and they continued along their path. What Tom did not know was that in his head, Chakotay had heard the sound from his nightmares – the sound of a woman screaming.


	7. No Escape

Chapter 7: No Escape

_Kathryn looked up at the sky, which a moment ago had been bright and sunny, and realized that huge, dark clouds were beginning to cover it. She heard a sound that startled her, until she realized it was only the primate that frequently visited them. It was making loud noises and gesturing frantically at the sky._

_"Yes," she said, "I think you're right. I should get inside." She collected her equipment and began to head back towards home. Her steps quickened as it started to rain, and the wind picked up. Soon it grew difficult to walk and she had to grab onto trees for support. She tried to run, but she tripped over something. She felt a sharp pain in her left ankle and cried out. She tried to get up, but realized that she couldn't put any weight on her left foot, and she fell back to the ground as pain shot up her leg, and she cried out again. The rain was falling hard now, and her clothes and shoes were soaked. She wiped water from her eyes – rain or tears? – and, determined, began to crawl towards home._

_Over the din of the storm, she suddenly heard a voice call, "Kathryn!"_

_"Chakotay!" she yelled back. "Chakotay, over here!" For a moment she feared that he could not hear her, but then she heard his cries coming closer._

_"Kathryn!" Suddenly, he came crashing through the trees, and he was on one knee beside her. "Kathryn, are you hurt?"_

_"I twisted my ankle," she replied, still having to yell to be heard over the storm. She felt his strong arm around her waist and she threw her arm over his shoulder. He tried to support her as she took a step but the moment she placed her left foot down, she shuddered with pain._

_Their eyes met and in that moment, she could see the concern he felt. She could see the fear he had experienced as he ran through the forest looking for her. Then, before she could protest, he was carrying her, holding her tightly against his chest. She held onto him with both arms and pressed her face against him. He fought against the storm; his clothes were as wet as hers._

_When they reached the shelter, the walls were rattling with the force of the storm. Chakotay laid Kathryn on the floor under the table and crawled in after her, pulling her against him, stroking her hair. "It's okay," he whispered in her ear. "It's going to be okay." Her arms encircled him, and he held her tighter. As the crashes around her ceased and the sound of the storm became a low din, she drifted off into a peaceful sleep, only to be awakened by a loud noise..._

Kathryn's eyes jerked open, and she realized she had been dreaming again. Again of Chakotay and New Earth. She sat up, and heard her stomach protest. Zeklar had not come to see her or invited her to dinner in two days, and yesterday's meals had consisted of rather stale bread, cheese and a small piece of cured meat. She was feeling the hunger.

Janeway clenched her fist. She could not just sit here any longer. She had begun to think that perhaps she should try to escape when her meal was brought to her. Usually there were two armed guards, but recently she had noticed that only one guard had been bringing her meal. She had allowed them to think she was more docile than she was, and it seemed to be working. The problem was, once out of the cell, where to go. She knew the direction away from Zeklar's dining room, but that was about it. She just couldn't sit in this cell anymore, doing nothing.

When her next meal came, she realized her opportunity. There was only one guard. When she approached him to take the tray of food, she instead slammed the tray into his face. Taking advantage of his momentary disorientation, she grabbed his weapon from his belt and shot him in the head. He staggered for a moment and fell. Without pausing, she was out the door and running – towards what, she did not know – but she was free.

...

Zeklar studied the map on his desk and chuckled. Those dupes in Elcarthita wouldn't know what hit them. They thought they were invincible, but when his army came, they would see. He laughed out loud and sat back in his chair. His thoughts turned to Janeway. He would break her yet, he was sure of it. She was no match for him, and if she thought her ship and crew could ruin his plans, well, that was just plain ignorant. A woman like her just needed the right man to subdue her, and he was certain that person was him. The communicator signal on his desk beeped. "What is it?"

"This is Guard Filtak, sir. The prisoner has escaped. The guard sent to bring her her meal was just found unconscious outside her cell."

"What?" Zeklar exploded. "Well, find her, idiot. Bring her back to her cell and inform me when you've succeeded."

"Yes, sir." The signal went silent, and Zeklar took a deep breath. No matter. She couldn't get far, and once she was found, everyone responsible for this little mishap would be suitably punished.

...

Kathryn was running through stone corridors, trying to find some exit from the compound. The lack of food and rest had left her weak. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath, but, hearing voices behind her, she began to run again. She was no longer conscious of moving towards anything, only of running away from the voices of the guards.

Suddenly, she found herself at a dead end, and the voices of the guards were coming closer. At the end of the corridor, she saw a small door in the wall that looked like it might lead to a crawl space or some kind of maintenance corridor. She reached for the handles of the heavy wooden door and pulled as hard as she could, but the door would not budge. She tried again. Behind her, she heard a voice say, "There she is!" She tried the door one last time, but it still refused to open. She felt a strong hand on her shoulder, and her arms being grabbed and pulled behind her, the stolen weapon torn from her hand. She felt cold metal encircle her wrists and whirled around to see four of Zeklar's guards in front of her.

"So you thought you could escape?" said one of them. "Ha. After the Commandant is done with you, you'll think twice before you try to pull something like that again. It's just like the Commandant says, you women are so weak."

"Weak?" Janeway spat in his face. "It took four of you to catch me. You're the ones who are weak – in your ability to _think!"_

"Shut up!" said the guard. He raised his hand to strike her, but one of the other guards stopped him. "Hey," he said, "you know the Commandant doesn't like us spoiling his fun."

The guard lowered his arm and Janeway let out a breath. Roughly, the guards poked and prodded her back to her cell. When they got there, Zeklar was waiting. To her surprise, his first comment was to the guard who had almost hit her.

"There are supposed to be two guards on duty at all times when the prisoner's doors are open," he said coldly. "Why were you not at your post?"

"I'm sorry, sir. It just seemed like… Well… I thought Sosa could handle it. She seemed so weak like you always said, and, well, I thought…"

Zeklar cut him off. "It's not your job to think, Besak. It's your job to follow my orders. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," said Besak, his large figure trembling. "It won't happen again."

Zeklar smiled his customary joyless smile. "You're right," he said, "it won't." There was barely time for the fear to register on the man's face before Zeklar shot him and his body disintegrated.

Janeway glared at him. He turned to her, but before he could speak, she said, "So that's how you keep your men in order. Threats. You kill them if they disobey you? Well, if that's the way you operate, you won't have an army much longer."

She expected him to hit her, but instead he turned to the three remaining guards and instructed them, "Remove her handcuffs and wait outside." They followed his orders, and Zeklar closed the door behind them, turning to her. "That was a brave thing you did, trying to escape on your own when you knew that my entire army is waiting only meters outside your door. My guards don't give you much credit. They think you're weak and helpless, but I know better." Though his words were those of a compliment, his tone was that of a slur. He was slowly backing her into a corner as he continued, "You are strong; I can see that. You won't be beaten easily, but I don't want to beat you, my pet. I simply want you to acknowledge the truth; that all you really want is to find someone stronger than you, someone you can submit to." Her back hit the wall, and she looked up at him. This time, she knew what was coming. "And you've found that person, in me. You're a beautiful woman, Kathryn," he hissed. He lowered his mouth to hers and grabbed her breast with his hand.

Swiftly, without allowing him time to think or react, she grabbed his shoulders and pulled him towards her, driving her knee into his groin. He recoiled, cursing in pain, doubled over. She made a move to grab his weapon, but he was faster than she expected. He grabbed her arm as it reached for him and twisted it until she cried out in pain. When she doubled over, he released his hold on her and brought his fist up to strike her face. His anger fueled his strength, and as she stumbled backwards from the force of the blow, he grabbed her wrist again and pulled her towards him. She felt a wrenching in her shoulder as he lowered his mouth to her neck and bit her hard. As she attempted to pull her arm free, she stepped as hard as she could on his foot. She heard the sound of a bone cracking as she did so, and Zeklar released her.

"Get in here!" he bellowed to the guards outside. They entered, and, gathering what had happened, two guards pulled Janeway away from Zeklar, wrenching her left shoulder again.

Zeklar looked at her and she shivered from the hatred in his gaze. "You will pay for this," he said. "Restrain her," he ordered the guards, and she had no time to struggle before her hands were again cuffed behind her back. Zeklar limped towards her, gave her one more backhand to the face. She fell to the ground as her vision began to blur, and eventually turned to black.

...

Elise and the Sisters had followed the corridor for only a short while before finding an exit. It took all three of them to open the door which they did as quietly as possible, not knowing what they would find on the other side. Elise slowly poked her head out and then gave the okay sign to Mira and Selanna. Elise lowered herself out first, dusting herself off and stretching her legs. The other two followed close behind. They looked around and found themselves in what seemed to be a storage closet. Spare parts, tools and metal pipes lay strewn about the room.

Mira began rummaging through the stuff and before long she held up an object with a satisfied grin. "Look!" she exclaimed. It was a worker's uniform. "There's a whole box of them."

"Perfect," said Elise. They put the uniforms on over their clothes. "We have to get to Central Command. That's our first priority." Elise pulled out her communicator and buzzed Chakotay.

"Chakotay here," she heard through slight static.

"Chakotay, we've exited the tunnel system. We're in some sort of storage closet."

"We're still in the tunnels," came the reply. "I'll let you know when we get out, if I can."

"We're on our way to Central Command, if we can find it," said Elise. "Elise out." She looked over at Mira and Selanna. They all looked slightly ridiculous in uniforms that clearly belonged to much larger men. Selanna had found matching hats in another box, and she handed them out. "Try not to be noticed," said Elise, "but if we do encounter others, act natural." The other two women nodded, and Elise started to the door way. Slowly, she opened the door and peered outside. The hallway seemed deserted; everything was made of a dark grey metal. Elise heard voices and quickly shut them back in the closet, pressing herself up against the wall next to the door.

"Did you hear about Besak?" she heard a gruff, male voice say.

"Yeah, that's too bad," another man replied.

"Well, he shouldn't have been slacking off," said the first voice.

"I guess not, but, come on, that was an extreme punishment."

"Yeah, the Commandant has been awfully testy since that prisoner came in."

"I don't know much about that. Hey, where are you off to right now?"

"I'm going to get my new orders. You?"

"Yeah, the same. I guess everyone's getting new orders these days." At that point, the voices faded too far for Elise to make out their words. She knew by the sound of their footsteps which direction they had gone, and she opened the door and led the other two women into the hallway, following them. Wherever they were going to get their new orders was most likely in the direction of Central Command.

They followed the soldiers at a safe distance for several minutes before they turned down a busier corridor. The three women tried to adopt the masculine, lazy walk of the repair men their clothes suggested they were, and everyone seemed too busy to notice them. The two men they had been following stopped outside a door labeled General Feltak, and out of the corner of her eye, Elise saw a decorated man, who must be the general, let them in. Further down the corridor, Elise saw another general stepping out of what appeared to be his office. He was talking to another man, and they soon disappeared down the corridor. Elise stopped outside the door the two men had just left, and she surreptitiously pulled a device out of the small bag at her hip. It would open virtually any electronic door, and a moment later, the door slid open and the ladies slipped inside. The lights were off, and the room appeared to be deserted.

"Selanna," Elise hissed, "find a way to lock that door." Selanna nodded and began to fiddle with a keypad next to the doorframe.

Elise glanced around the room, barely able to make out her surroundings as her eyes adjusted to the dark. In the center of the room stood a desk adorned with a computer and several medals and decorations. One wall was covered with a bookcase, and another with maps and pictures of weapons. Elise sat down at the desk and activated the monitor. "Welcome, General Babbit," came up on the screen.

"Not much security on this computer system," Elise remarked as she began to scan the documents.

"I don't think they were expecting any visitors," said Selanna, still fiddling with the panel by the door. They heard a small beep and Selanna said, "I think it's locked now."

Elise and Mira gasped at the same time, and Selanna turned away from her examination of the door technology to ask, "What?"

"Look at this," said Mira, gesturing to one of the maps on the wall. It did not take them long, even in the dim light, to realize that it was a very detailed map of Elcarthita. "There are entrance points into the city marked on this map," said Mira.

Elise nodded slowly. "They're planning an invasion. The plans are right here in the general's computer. The date is set for next week. Quick, Selanna," Elise said, moving aside, "see how much of this information you can download and transmit to Leya."

As Selanna went to work on that, Mira was studying another map. "Look," she said, pointing, "this is where we are, in General Babbit's office, and here's Central Command. It doesn't look like it's very far."

"I've downloaded as much as I can into my portable transmitter," said Selanna, "but I think the download tripped some sort of security protocol. Someone's going to know we're here."

"Let's go," said Elise. "Transmit the data to Leya. Mira, do you have that map?" Mira nodded. She had been selected for this mission because of her photographic memory.

"Data transmitting," said Selanna.

"Good," Elise replied. "Mira, lead the way."

...

Commandant Zeklar sat in a medical bed as Doctor Pelus slowly repaired the broken bones in his foot. The painkillers soothed his pain, but he was still seething internally.

"You'll be walking fine again by tomorrow, Commandant," said the doctor with a reassuring smile.

"Thank you, Doctor," Zeklar replied, not sounding reassured at all. Suddenly his communicator beeped. "Yes?" he answered.

"Yes, sir." He recognized the voice of his assistant. "There's been a security breach, and I wanted to inform you."

"What?" Zeklar exclaimed. This day was getting worse by the minute.

"It doesn't seem to be anything major, sir. Some data was downloaded from General Babbit's computer by an unauthorized device."

Pushing Dr. Pelus aside and standing up quickly, ignoring the pain in his foot, Zeklar ordered, "Well then we must have an intruder. Issue an alert and find them." He paused as ideas came together in his mind. "And have the generals meet me in the Conference Room. There's been a slight change of plans. If we have an intruder, chances are good they're from the other side. We don't want to give them any time to prepare, now do we? Oh, and have two guards ready to accompany me to the prison. I think Captain Janeway should be a witness to my triumph. If her crew has somehow found a way to infiltrate us, she'll be safer with me."

"Yes, sir."

Zeklar smiled. This was the efficiency and obedience he liked. It's why he kept the little man with the thick glasses around.

...

Slowly, Janeway became aware of sounds. Were people shouting? There were footsteps in the distance. She became aware of the hard, cold floor beneath her body. Gradually, she became cognizant of an intense pain across her shoulders and the pins and needles of sensation slowly returning to her hands. As she opened her eyes, she realized she was lying on the floor of her cell, her hands still handcuffed behind her back. Her left shoulder was in intense pain and she wondered if it had been dislocated. She could tell her face was swollen, and as she moved her facial muscles, knew some of the skin was caked in dry blood. _It does not matter_, she told herself. _The pain does not matter. Ignore it. The only thing that's important is finding a way out of here._

She heard footsteps and realized that someone was approaching. Within moments, Zeklar was inside her cell, flanked by two guards. He sneered at her and said, "So, you're awake." She did not reply, and he gestured to the guards. They approached her and roughly picked her up by the arms, forcing her to stand. She winced at the pain in her shoulder. "So," he said, delighting in her pain, "you are finally starting to feel my power."

"You have no power over me," she spat. "I'd have thought you'd have understood that by now."

Zeklar approached her menacingly, but once he reached her, he bent down to kiss her and was surprisingly gentle. The guards were still restraining her and she could do nothing this time. When Zeklar's hand came behind her head to force her mouth onto his, and when his other hand grabbed her breast, she feared she might vomit. She tried to struggle, but the guards held her in place. The hand on her breast moved lower, grabbing her buttocks and pulling her pelvis towards him. She tried to scream, but her mouth was muffled by his.

Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice in the doorway. "Sir! Sir!" This grabbed Zeklar's attention. As he pulled away angrily, she tried to calm herself and stop her body from shaking.

"What is it?" he bellowed.

"Sir," said the small man with deference, "the generals are awaiting your orders. They need you now. You will have plenty of time for this later."

Although he was clearly unhappy about it, Zeklar listened and backed away from Janeway. "Bring her with us," he ordered, and exited through the door with a flourish.

Corran Metran motioned for the guards to let Janeway go. They stepped away from her, and her knees gave way. She sank to the floor and immediately vomited in the corner. Metran was by her side a moment later. "Are you alright?" he asked her quietly.

"A little better now," she replied weakly as Corran released her handcuffs.

"If you promise not to escape again, I'll try to make them leave these off," he told her.

"You know I can't do that," she said, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand and slowly getting to her feet.

Metran offered her a hand as she stood and she took it. He led her out of the cell, the two guards following close behind. He saw her wince as she moved her left arm. "I'll give you something for the pain when we get there," he said.

"Where are we going?" she asked, but he did not reply. After a moment, she said, "Thanks. That's twice I owe you for." And he knew she was not talking about the painkillers.

...

Chakotay did not know how long they had been crawling through the tube system. It had been at least an hour, he was sure. They had continued past one turn off and their tunnel had turned a corner. As they crawled on, the structure around them became older. The corridors around them were made of stone, not metal, and Chakotay knew they were getting close. "We're almost there," he said to Tom. The other man looked relieved.

"I don't think my knees can take much more of this," Paris said. The newer parts of the system had been well ventilated, but here it was becoming hotter and stuffier by the minute.

It wasn't long before Chakotay stopped. An exit door was directly in front of them. Its designed resembled the metal doors from the newer tunnels, but it was made of wood and held together by metal rods. They could hear noises on the other side of the door, and Chakotay pressed his ear against it. He heard frantic footsteps, and a man's voice bellowing, "What is it?" He knew that voice from somewhere, but he had no time to think about that now. Could he hear a muffled scream, or was it in his imagination? He moved to open the door, but Paris' hand on his arm stopped him.

"Wait, Chakotay," said Tom. "We don't know how many of them there are. We're better off taking them by surprise when we have the upper hand."

So Chakotay stopped, knowing Tom was right, and they waited until the footsteps had disappeared into the distance. Then they forced the door open and lowered themselves out of the tunnel. Chakotay gasped as he looked around, finding himself in the stone corridors of his nightmares and his vision quest. Before Paris could stop or caution him, he began to run, and Tom hurried to catch up. Chakotay knew exactly where he was going and was surprised, when he arrived, to find the large wooden door of the cell already open. He peered in cautiously and stepped inside, the tension leaving his body. The cell was deserted. Tom caught up with him a moment later and stood motionless in the doorway.

Chakotay looked around the stone room. There was no furniture, and no comforts. He smelled vomit, and saw where the offending smell was coming from, his own stomach churning. What had they done to her? He knelt down and examined the floor. There were drops of blood. Kathryn's? Or did it belong to another prisoner from long ago? It was dried. How long ago? Impossible to tell. The vomit was fresh. Something caught his eye and he reached to pick it up - a tiny scrap of fabric. He held it up to show Tom. It was the maroon fabric of the tunic that Janeway had worn on the night of the party.

"This is where they held her," said Chakotay. We're too late." His voice raised as he spoke. "Damn it! We're too late!" He slammed his fist down on the stone floor, clenching the fabric in his hand.

"We'll find her," said Tom. "They're on the move. We just have to catch up."

Suddenly, Chakotay felt a vibration in his pocket. He almost had forgotten about the communicator. "Chakotay here," he answered.

Elise was whispering. "Chakotay, we're hiding in a closet right now, trying to get to Central Command. We made it into a general's office and found plans for a full-scale invasion of Elcarthita. We transmitted as much data as we could to Leya, but they know there's an intruder, so be careful."

"We made it to the prison," Chakotay replied, "but we were too late. They've already moved her. Maybe they suspect someone from _Voyager_ is their intruder."

"The safest way to travel is definitely through the tubes. Maybe you should head back there. We'll check back with you when we have more information for you. I'll try to find out where she is. Elise out."

Chakotay stared down at the communicator. Head back to the tubes and wait it out, or wander around and risk getting themselves killed? The knot in his stomach tightened. "Let's head back to the tubes and give Elise a little bit of time to find out more information," he said. Paris seemed about to protest, so Chakotay continued, "Unless you have a better idea?" To this, Tom could offer nothing, so he followed the Commander back to the door where they had entered the prison.

...

Elise was almost afraid to breathe as she, Mira and Selanna tried to stay out of sight of passing soldiers. They had found a small supply closet next to General Babbit's office. It smelled of cleaning chemicals and rubber. Mira surreptitiously peered out of the closet's small window, waiting for the hallway to empty. "It's not far from here," Mira said quietly. "If only all these people would get out of our way."

"What if they don't?" whispered Selanna.

Elise shook her head. "Something's going on. They're all going somewhere. And I don't think their first priority is looking for us."

After a few moments, the sound of footsteps ceased. Mira peered out the window and whispered, "The coast is clear." She opened the closet door and they followed her down a deserted hallway. The soldiers they had overheard had been on their way to get new orders. Perhaps everyone had received some new orders that involved departure; the corridor seemed eerily quiet. They turned to the right, and found themselves in Central Command. It was oddly deserted as well. Elise was astounded at the lack of security; apparently, they didn't consider visitors much of a threat. The lack of security personnel nagged at her; something wasn't right here. Selanna was already at work at one computer console, downloading data to transmit back to Leya. Under her breath, she began to list names that were familiar to all of them – names of people who had a second identity in the Southern Hemisphere.

While Mira stood guard, Elise searched for a record of Captain Janeway. It did not take her long to find it. She buzzed Chakotay and he answered immediately. "Chakotay," Elise said hurriedly, "she's with someone named Commandant Zeklar. His ship is in docking bay A, and it's called the _Black Moon_. If you retrace your steps, the docking bay is not too far east of the prison. There's a flight plan logged. It looks like he's set to depart today. Chakotay, the invasion is starting early." She spoke frantically as she read more, realizing why all the soldiers were leaving the base. "We're trying to transmit as much data to Leya as we can, but…" Elise stopped abruptly. She had heard Mira scream. She whirled around and saw Selanna slumped over her console. A man stood in front of them, his gun pointed directly at her.

"Drop the communicator," he said. "Drop it!" She obeyed. "Who are you?" he asked. She did not respond. Two men in dark grey uniforms appeared in the doorway behind the first man, who seemed to be a general, or at least a man of rank. "Seize them," he ordered. "Take their weapons and any other technology they might have. Have them taken to the brig of my ship."

"Yes, General Tarsmith," the men replied in unison, grabbing Mira and Elise roughly. As they were being dragged away, Elise saw the general grab Selanna's limp body and push it haphazardly onto the floor. She could only hope that Chakotay had received her last message and that they hadn't found him too.


	8. The Black Moon

Chapter 8: The _Black Moon_

Chakotay tapped the communicator and tried again to contact Elise, but she would not answer. For a moment he stared at the device. She had been discovered, or killed, and he had no way to help her, not if he was going to save Kathryn. "I don't think we can do anything for Elise right now," he said, voicing his thoughts aloud. He began to crawl back through the tunnels, Tom close behind him, following Elise's instructions. Soon they saw the turn off to the docking bay, and reached a door at the end of the corridor Chakotay listened intently at the door but heard nothing, so he and Tom pushed it open. Chakotay's eyes widened and he heard Tom whistle softly behind him. There was an enormous battleship in front of them surrounded by several smaller fighters.

"That must be the _Black Moon_," Chakotay said, gesturing to the cruiser. He lowered himself out of the tunnel. For the moment, the docking bay appeared relatively deserted. Chakotay had the feeling it wouldn't stay that way for long. "We'll find a place to stow away," Chakotay whispered.

Tom nodded. Sometimes he needed a reminder that his stoic, quiet, considerate Commander had once been a member of the renegade Maquis. A ramp had been lowered on the Black Moon, either to load people or cargo, and Tom and Chakotay approached it cautiously. They ducked behind a smaller ship when they saw that the ramp was guarded by two men. Tom and Chakotay looked at each other, and Tom grinned. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked.

"If you're thinking it would be a hell of a lot easier to get around here wearing those uniforms," replied Chakotay, "then, yes." Tom's grin widened. Sneaking through the other ships, none of which were apparently important enough to be guarded, they made their way stealthily underneath the ramp where the guards stood. Then, at an unspoken signal from Chakotay, they emerged behind the guards and swiftly shot them with their phasers. After taking the soldiers' clothes, Tom and Chakotay incinerated the bodies, not wanting to leave any evidence for the soldier's compatriots to find later.

They boarded the ship to find what seemed like a skeleton crew. They were obviously preparing the ship for takeoff, and, it sounded like, for battle. No one seemed to think twice of Chakotay and Tom. They blended in easily with all of the soldiers and guards. Once they were alone in a corridor, Chakotay said, "We want to avoid a confrontation if at all possible. We should find a place to wait."

Paris stopped at a console in an alcove halfway down the corridor. "What did Elise say this guy's name was? Zader or something?"

"Zeklar," replied Chakotay, peering over Tom's shoulder at the screen.

Tom pulled up a map on the screen and pointed to a green dot that appeared on it. "This is Zeklar's quarters. It's not too far from our present location. It looks like this corridor here contains some storage compartments. How about there?"

Chakotay nodded. "Looks good. Let's go."

As they continued down the corridor, they heard a voice behind them shout, "You two, where are you going?"

They turned to face another soldier, dressed in the same dark grey uniform, but with more decoration than theirs. "We're on our way to the Command Center," Tom improvised. "Special guard duty. The orders came from Zeklar himself."

"Commandant Zeklar?" asked the soldier. Tom nodded, and the soldier shook his head in apparent frustration. "All these new orders issued today. No one has been properly informed. Very well, on your way." He continued down the corridor, muttering to himself.

Both Tom and Chakotay exhaled slowly. "That was close," said Chakotay.

"We were lucky," Tom replied. They reached the storage area near Zeklar's quarters and discreetly closed themselves up in the metal room. Once again, all they could do was wait.

...

Leya sat back and looked at the screen in front of her, trying to decide what to do. She had received a transmission from Selanna about two hours ago with what seemed to be plans for an invasion of Elcarthita in several days. What should she do with this information? She was the technology expert, not the leader. That was Elise's job. And how could the twelve of them stop an invasion alone?

Suddenly, the screen in front of her began to flash. Another transmission! She watched the screen as text scrolled across it. It was a list of names – the traitors – and their dual identities. It seemed only to be a partial list before a new message flashed in front of her: NEW ORDERS FOR ALL SOLDIERS. REPORT TO COMMANDING OFFICER IMMEDIATELY. INVASION CRAFT SCHEDULED TO DEPART TODAY AT…"

The transmission stopped suddenly. Leya frantically pressed buttons and checked all of her equipment, but it seemed to be functioning perfectly. Something must have happened to Elise and the others. Then she read the message again. Invasion craft scheduled to depart today? New orders? Suddenly it clicked – for some reason, they had changed the date of the invasion. They could be on their way here at this very moment. Leya no longer pondered what she had to do. They had a system, only to be used in the case of a dire emergency, and if Leya activated it, every Sister would receive an emergency page and know to report to headquarters. They had never used it before, but Leya knew that now was the time. She activated the emergency signal.

Within the hour, she was joined by the eight remaining Sisters. They assembled in the basement headquarters on Echo Street, and Leya showed them all the transmissions she had received. Tess, their military expert, was the first to speak. "We have to assume that Elise and the others are dead or otherwise unable to help us. We are in charge now."

Leya nodded and said, "We had no idea their plans were this far along. What can we do?"

"I can round up a good deal of the security forces through my contacts there," replied Tess. "If the plans Selanna transmitted are still accurate, then at least we know where they'll be entering the city, and we can guard those entrances."

"I think that the Chief of Police will side with us," said Bajira, who was the Chief's secretary. "He would never do anything to disobey direct orders, but I think that in a state of emergency, he'll help."

"Good," said Tess. "Leya, get us all copies of those documents so that we have proof to show these people. We'll communicate as soon as we have our forces in place, and I'll coordinate the attack from there." No one questioned Tess' authority. She had taken charge in the wake of Elise's absence, and the other Sisters were grateful.

"There's one other document that came through," said Leya. "It's only a partial list, but it's a list of names. I think it must be names of those who have dual identities and are fighting for the Southern Hemisphere."

"Is Aelvin on that list?" asked Rose. The Sisters had long suspected his involvement.

Leya shook her head. "But like I said, it's only a partial list. Mostly low level officials, guards, policemen. Some people I work with at the Institute of Technology. The highest ranking official on this list is Corran Metran." The Sisters nodded solemnly.

"You better take that list with you when you go to talk to the chief of police, Bajira," said Tess. Bajira nodded. "Ariana and Rose, get as many other doctors and nurses as you can trust and see if you can find some locations to set up makeshift medical facilities. One of the head physicians at the Main Hospital is on this list, so don't let word get back to him. He's probably preparing the Main Hospital for the Southern forces. The rest of you, split up and recruit as many trustworthy people as you can. Leya and Bella will stay here and remain in communication with all of you. They'll also be waiting for word from Elise and the others. I'm going to talk to Chief Lehman and see if Elcarthita's security forces will join us."

Suddenly, Leya spoke up. "What about _Voyager_? It's cloaked but they're still in orbit. They could help us."

"If we contact them, we risk exposing their presence," said Haeli.

Tess pondered this for a moment. "Wait a little longer," she said. "Wait until they can't possibly change their invasion plans, then call _Voyager_." Tess looked at her chronometer. "Wait another hour. Then send them a transmission, authorized or not." Leya nodded. "The rest of you, you have your orders."

...

Corran gently held Janeway's good arm as he escorted her through the corridors. Her other shoulder throbbed and she still felt queasy. She tried to breath deeply and stay focused. _Breathe in and out. Place one foot in front of the other. Don't stumble. Don't vomit. Don't lean too heavily on Corran's arm. Don't pass out. Chakotay. What can I do? How can I escape now? What will I do next time Zeklar comes? What if Corran isn't there to stop him? Chakotay? Tuvok?_ She was acutely aware of the two guards that flanked her.

As they walked away from the prison, she recognized the metal corridors that led to the docking bay where Zeklar had once taken her. The corridors were swarming with hurried soldiers, rushing to their posts. Clearly, something important was happening, but Janeway didn't have the time or energy to analyze it. Corran keyed a sequence into a pad by a door, and the large, metal door in front of them slid open. She looked up and found herself inside the monstrous docking bay, staring up at a huge battle cruiser.

Corran and the guards led her up the ramp of the ship. "Vice-Commandant Corran to Commandant Zeklar," he said.

"Yes, report," came the reply.

"I have the prisoner aboard the _Black Moon_. What are your instructions, sir?"

"Put her in the brig," ordered Zeklar. "Tell her I'll see her later."

Just the sound of his voice sent a shiver down her spine. Corran's eyes met hers as he acknowledged Zeklar's orders. He took her arm again, carefully, as he led her through the corridors of the ship. She tried to pay attention, to watch their route, but she was having a hard time concentrating. She was beginning to wonder if Zeklar's blow to her head yesterday had left her with a mild concussion. She stumbled, and Corran caught her. Pain shot through her shoulder.

"We're almost there, Captain Janeway," Metran whispered reassuringly. His proper use of her title almost made her smile. She did not understand his motives in helping her, but she was grateful for the kindness and gentleness that he had shown her.

Down a corridor and up some sort of a turbolift, Corran keyed in a code at another door, and Kathryn found herself in what could only be the brig. It was swarming with uniformed guards. The technology on the ship was far more advanced than on the ground; she had enough presence of mind to see that. The prison cells were enclosed by forcefields rather than doors. Keying a code into a pad by one of the doors, the forcefield dematerialized and Corran led Janeway inside. At least here there was a bed – metal and uncomfortable though it might be. She sat down and Corran leaned in front of her, masking his actions from the guards outside. He slipped her a vial identical to the one he'd given her a few days ago, and she took it gratefully.

He left the cell without a word, giving some orders to the guards and reactivating the forcefield. With the guard's attention turned to Metran, Janeway quickly downed the contents of the vial. She watched Corran leave and the remaining guards dutifully resumed their posts. Carefully, trying not to jar her throbbing shoulder, she lowered herself down on the bed. It was not long before she felt the pain begin to dull, then all her senses with it. Her eyelids became heavy and she drifted off into a deep sleep.

...

"From what we've been able to figure," said Neelix, "the population of Elcar at one time lived peacefully in both hemispheres, but about five hundred years ago, there was a civil war. The technologically-minded northerners fought with the agricultural culture of the south. The northerners created weapons of mass destruction that inadvertently destroyed the atmosphere of the southern hemisphere. The losing army was exiled: some to other worlds, but mostly to labor camps in the southern hemisphere. At first, the labor camps were known of openly, but gradually, as the government tried to convince everyone that their society was advancing, the existence of the camps because less and less official. Finally, it seems that the existence of the camps was all but forgotten, and the people who were there were left to themselves." Neelix stood on the bridge next to Tuvok, gesturing excitedly as he spoke.

"What about the research on telepathy?" asked Tuvok.

"Well, now, that information is a little more confusing," said Neelix "Seven is still trying to sort it out, with the Doctor's help."

"Very well," said Tuvok. "Inform me when you have more information."

"Yes, sir," said Neelix enthusiastically.

Suddenly, Kim said, "Sir, we are receiving a transmission from the planet." He paused before continuing, "On an unofficial frequency."

"On screen," said Tuvok.

A woman's face appeared on the screen. "Commander Tuvok," she said, "you do not know me, but I am Leya Harcott, Minister Harcott's sister. I am a member of the Sisters of the Light, and I know Commander Chakotay."

"Greetings," said Tuvok in his most impartial tone. "How can we be of assistance, and why have you risked exposing our presence here?"

"I've received a transmission from the team in the Southern Hemisphere. I'm sorry about risking _Voyager_'s exposure, but I had to contact you." Leya spoke frantically.

"Miss Harcott," said Tuvok calmly, "please calm down and explain the situation. What was the content of the transmission you received?"

"Oh yes." Leya took a deep breath before continuing. She had spent five years preparing for this day, but she had never been in an actual crisis situation before. "I received a partial transmission of plans for an invasion of Elcarthita, and an indication that it will start today. I've contacted you to request your assistance."

"We have a Prime Directive that states that we cannot become involve in alien conflicts," said Tuvok. "But this is a unique situation."

"So you'll help us?" asked Leya.

"Considering that our position may already be compromised, we may have no choice," Tuvok replied. "We will be standing by and continue to monitor the situation."

"Thank you, Commander Tuvok. I'll be contacting you. You may also hear form Tess. She'll be coordinating our end of the attack."

"Very well. Tuvok out." The screen went black and Tuvok took a seat in the Captain's chair. "All hands, this is Lieutenant Commander Tuvok. Go to red alert. Please be advised we may be entering a combat situation. All hands, battle stations."

...

_Kathryn lay back and let the warm water swirl around her body. There were few greater pleasures in life than a bath, and here she was enjoying one under the trees and breathing in the sweet summer air. "What are you doing in there?" she called to her companion in the shelter a few meters away._

_"Making something," he replied._

_This caught her attention. "Oh really? What?"_

_He chuckled. "I'm not telling. You'll just have to wait and see."_

_Suddenly she heard a rustle in the trees. An unfamiliar sound. "Chakotay!" she cried. "Someone's in the woods."_

_By the time she had stepped out of the tub, he was standing next to her, phaser in hand. He looked around anxiously. Then they saw a primate come out of the woods towards them. "Oh, it's you," Kathryn said with relief. "I thought I told you not to scare me like that." The primate chattered unintelligibly and scampered away. As Kathryn turned, she realized that Chakotay was still standing next to her, and that he was staring unabashedly at her exposed shoulders. She blushed but met his gaze, forcing him to raise his eyes to hers._

_"We should get you inside," he said. "Being out in the night air with wet hair, you're bound to catch cold."_

_Janeway laughed easily. "Oh, Chakotay, that's an old wives tale." But she followed him inside nonetheless. Once inside she ducked into her alcove and changed into her nightgown and robe. When she emerged, Chakotay was just putting his things away. "What are you making?" she asked him again._

_His eyes glittered as he said, "It's a surprise. For you."_

_She tilted her head and looked at him skeptically._

_"Come over here," he said, gesturing to a chair. "Let me rub your shoulders."_

_She laughed. "I certainly won't refuse that kind of offer." She sat down and let his strong hands work out the knots in her shoulders and back. She closed her eyes and relaxed. She could not remember the last time she had felt so at ease. She felt Chakotay's breath near her ear as he inhaled the scent of her hair, still slightly damp from the bath. Suddenly, she felt something wet on her shoulder. She opened her eyes and looked up, to see that Chakotay was crying. She stood and turned to face him, taking both of his hands in hers. "Chakotay, what's wrong?" she asked._

_He shook his head and smiled through his tears. "Nothing," he said softly. "Absolutely nothing." And then she understood that his tears came from gratitude and happiness. She lifted one hand to wipe the tears from his cheeks and brushed a finger gently over his lips. He took the hand and gently kissed that finger, bringing his other hand up to caress her cheek. He leaned down and gently brought his lips to hers. The kiss was simple, gentle and sweet, with just the smallest hint of passion for each other. He pulled away; they looked into each others' eyes and smiled. Then he pulled her into a tight embrace, and her arms encircled his body. With her head against his chest, she could hear his heart beat, and she closed her eyes, letting its constancy reassure her, letting his strong arms make her feel safe. Thump-da-thump-da-thump…_

Slowly, Kathryn's eyes opened and the dream had seemed so real, she was astonished to find herself back in her cell aboard Zeklar's ship. The painkiller was beginning to wear off, and she felt the slow throbbing in her shoulder as well as the familiar stinging on her face. There was no need to sit or stand. She might as well conserve her energy. She felt weak; she had not eaten in two days, and what little there had been left of that, she had brought back up in her cell. She was ashamed of that reaction, but she tried to put it behind her, tried not to think about it. Still, there was a nagging voice in the back of her mind saying, Starfleet Captains are stronger than that. This was not exactly your typical combat situation. Of course they had training for resisting interrogation and torture, but this was not interrogation, it was just torture, and a mental torture as well as physical. Internally, she reprimanded herself. _Forget about the torture. The suffering does not matter. Do not give in._

As if on cue, Corran appeared outside her cell. "Captain Janeway," he said softly, "please get up and come with me." His words were polite, but he said them in the tone of a command.

Slowly, she raised herself to a seated position and then stood. She stumbled as she took her first step, but regained her footing quickly. Corran released the forcefield and she exited the cell. He took her good arm and led her out of the brig.

"No guards this time?" she asked.

He looked at her and smiled sadly. "Where would you go? The ship is swarming with them. There's no one who can help you here, Captain. Just give him what he wants. It will make it easier for all of us."

"What about you?" she asked. "You seem to want to help. Just get me to a shuttle and let me go."

"And risk my own life?" he asked. "You give me too much credit. I can't bear to see anyone abused, but I'm no hero."

"We could make it look like I escaped, disarmed you and forced you to take me to the shuttle." She was coming dangerously close to pleading, but if it got her out of here, she was willing to beg at this point.

"I think we both know no one would believe that story. Besides, someone along the way would surely report it, and then I'd be dead and you'd be…" He stopped, and rephrased, "And there would be no one to try and stop Zeklar from doing whatever he wanted with you."

They walked in silence for a moment before Janeway realized that the ship was in motion. "We're moving," she observed. "Where are we going?"

"I think that something the Commandant wishes to tell you himself," Corran replied. They had arrived at an imposing metal door. Corran pressed a button on the side of it and waited. The door slid open and they stepped into a dimly lit room. Guards stood on either side of the door, their weapons easily visible. Janeway saw a desk topped with a computer, a large bookcase, a number of decorative weapons and a large bed in the center of the room.

The chair behind the desk whirled around and Zeklar smiled. "Come in, my pet," he said. "Welcome to the _Black Moon_."

...

Chakotay and Tom had been in the storage compartment for what felt like many hours. The ship had taken off and as they listened carefully to conversations that passed them in the corridor, they realized that the ship was indeed on its way to invade Elcarthita. Tom watched Chakotay clench and unclench his fists as he tried to stay calm. The Commander kept his ear pressed to the exterior door of the storage closet. Tom had offered to take a turn, knowing that eventually, the older man would tire, but for the moment, Chakotay would not relinquish his post. Chakotay's eyes were closed in concentration as he listened carefully. Tom felt sympathy for the older man. He knew if it were B'Elanna who was missing, he'd be taking it much worse than Chakotay was. Of course, Chakotay and the Captain were not quite the same as he and B'Elanna, but he knew she held a special place in his heart, undefined and unspoken as it might be.

Suddenly, Tom saw Chakotay's body stiffen, and he motioned for Tom to listen as well. As he pressed his ear to the metal, Tom heard a man's voice say, "…no one to try and stop Zeklar from doing whatever he wanted with you."

Then he understood why Chakotay wanted him to listen, because, very distinctly, they heard, "We're moving. Where are we going?" And both men recognized the voice of Captain Kathryn Janeway. They heard the sound of a door open and close, then silence for a moment. Chakotay held his breath, ready to open the door, when they heard the door open and close again, but this time, only one set of footsteps passed them. Tom saw Chakotay's eyes grow wide with fear, and together, when the hallway was quiet, they opened the hatch and lowered themselves into the corridor, looking around nervously.

Chakotay moved to the lock panel by the door, and Tom said, "I'll cover you," pulling out his phaser. Only one thought was running through Chakotay's mind: the echo of a man's voice saying, _"There would be no one to try and stop Zeklar from doing whatever he wanted with you."_


	9. The Battle for Elcarthita

Chapter 9: The Battle for Elcarthita

Tess muttered to herself under her breath as she rode the turbolift up in the security building. It had seemed so obvious to her that whittling down Elcar's army to a mere security force was a terrible idea. Now they were all going to pay the price of their leaders' shortsightedness. The lift reached its destination and she got off, heading directly for Chief Lehrer's office. She knocked on the door.

"Come in," he called, and she entered.

"I'm sorry to bother you, sir, but this couldn't wait."

"Tess," he said, smiling, "come in." She had a good relationship with the Chief, despite her low rank. She had made great efforts to wheedle herself into his good graces, and she was hoping those efforts were about to pay off. She sat down across the desk from Chief Lehrer and presented her case and her evidence. The Chief listened quietly, his face betraying no emotion. He was a wizened, elderly man. He had never seen the action of war, but he had common sense and a sharp mind. When she finished, he studied her for a moment, then asked, "Why have you come directly to me, and not taken your evidence to the Chancellor, or the Cabinet of Ministers?"

"We know Minister Metran is involved. We don't know for certain, but we have also suspected Chancellor Adinah for a long time."

"And you expect me to launch an Elcarian civil war based on your intuition?"

Tess felt her heart beating faster. She couldn't bear sitting in an office while an invasion was about to begin. "Sir," she said, trying to keep impatience out of her tone, "people are going to die and your security force is the only thing that can save their lives. Please call them in."

At that moment, Tess' communicator buzzed and she answered it, her eyes remaining locked with the Chief's. "Tess, it's Leya," they heard. "Our sensors show a large amount of electromagnetic activity in the southern hemisphere. They're on the move."

Chief Lehrer's eyes widened. "Leya _Harcott?"_ he asked. She nodded, her eyes still locked with his.

"Tess?" Leya asked.

She looked at Lehrer expectantly and he nodded almost imperceptibly. Tess broke into a wide grin. "I've got Elcarian Security, Ley," she said into the comm. "We'll be ready."

As she began to go over the plans with Lehrer, Bajira contacted her to tell her that the police were with them too. They knew that the security forces and the mostly inexperienced police would be no match for an army, but they would do the best they could, and perhaps with _Voyager_'s help, it would be enough.

...

Janeway tried to keep her breathing steady as Zeklar stared at her. "Corran," he said, "you may leave us." The small man released his hold on her arm, nodded to his boss and exited the room.

Zeklar stood and began to move towards her. Guards flanked either side of the exit; she was trapped. "This, my pet, is the eve of my triumph. My army is on its way to invade Elcarthita. At this very moment, the ground forces are preparing to enter the city. And since I have seen to it that Elcarthita has no army, my triumph will come swiftly."

At that moment, something clicked in Janeway's mind, a thought she had been evading since her first night in the prison. "You impersonated Aevlin Adinah," she realized aloud, "in order to make Elcarthita weak so that you could attack it."

Zeklar laughed harshly. "I _created_ Aelvin Adinah. The perfect leader for Elcar: suave, gentle, peaceful." He spat this list of qualities with disgust. "Any people who chooses Aelvin Adinah as their leader deserves to be invaded by Zeklar's army. Adinah had no qualifications, only charm – no plans, only platitudes – and that is the stupidity of the Elcarian people, that they would choose such a leader. Since they make such poor choices when left to their own devices, I will have to make their choices for them from now on."

"You know," Janeway said, her fear dissipating, "that is the first thing you have said to me that makes sense." Zeklar's expression seemed to soften. "Let me help you," she continued, "but the answer is not to make choices for your people. Be an example. Lead them. Educate them. Help them understand the faults you see, and correct them. But not by telling them what to do; by helping them to make better choices for themselves."

"Perhaps," said Zeklar thoughtfully. But his thought was interrupted by a comm signal. He answered it. "I told you I am not to be disturbed!"

"I apologize, sir, but I thought you'd want to hear this."

Zeklar sighed. "Go ahead, General Tarsmith."

"The intruders reporter earlier have been found and are on the brig of my ship." For a moment Janeway held her breath – was it her crew? But the General continued, "Two women. They refuse to identify themselves, but they seem to be from Elcarthita. I've kept them so you can interrogate them yourself, sir."

"Well done, General."

"Sir," said the general hesitantly, "there's one other thing."

Zeklar raised an eyebrow. "Yes?" he asked, his voice growing cold.

"An unauthorized transmission has been detected leaving Elcarthita and directed at something in orbit. We think it's a cloaked ship."

Zeklar's eyes narrowed and he looked directly at Janeway. "Monitor it closely," he said, "and do not disturb me again." He cut the comm signal and glared at Janeway. "So," he said to her, "you've kept your ship up there all this time, have you?"

She shook her head. "_Voyager_ doesn't even have a cloaking device."

"And you expect me to believe you?" he asked coldly.

"Please, Commandant," she stressed his title, "we were talking about how you can help your people." But the expression on his face told her he was lost to her. His anger and lust were blinding him now.

"I did not bring you here to talk," he said harshly. "I brought you here because on the eve of my triumph, I wish my conquest to be complete – not only to possess Elcarthita, but to have you first." He was advancing towards her again. As soon as he came into range, she reached out with her good arm, trying to extend her nails into his eyes, but he caught her arm and held her wrist. "I think you deserve a little payback for the other night," he said. With that, his heavy boot came down on her foot. She heard the crack before she felt the pain, cried out as the pain hit her, and collapsed to the floor on her hands and knees.

...

Chakotay's fingers flew over the keypad. This encryption sequence wad difficult to break. A guard turned the corner and saw them. "Hey you!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing?"

"Just repairing a malfunction to this keypad," said Tom nonchalantly, but the guard apparently didn't believe him.

"Pinehas to base. I think something's going on…" That was all he got out before Tom neatly shot him.

"Chakotay," Tom warned, "we don't have much time."

"I'm working as fast as I can," he replied. "Hold them off."

It was not long before Chakotay heard phaser fire behind him. He did not turn. He did not look. He had his task and Tom would watch his back. "I've almost got it," he said.

At that moment, Tom fell back, clutching his shoulder. Chakotay looked at him for a moment, but Tom got back up again. "I'm okay," he said, and, hiding behind the bulkhead he continued to cover for Chakotay. The guards hadn't seemed to figure out quite what was going wrong, and each one that came around the corner seemed just as surprised to see Tom and Chakotay as the last.

Chakotay heard Kathryn cry out in pain and this time he knew it was not in his imagination. He worked faster, fingers flying at lightning speed. _Hold on, Kathryn. Hold on._

_...  
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Tuvok sat on the bridge, pondering their situation. The Prime Directive clearly prohibited becoming involved in an alien conflict. However, if _Voyager_'s presence had been detected after Leya's transmission, it seemed likely that his own ship and crew were already in danger. Forming an alliance with the Sisters of Light in order to protect _Voyager_ and its crew did seem like the logical course of action. There was also the possibility that there was a correlation between the attackers from the southern hemisphere and the disappearance of Captain Janeway. If these renegades had indeed captured his Captain, it would be logical for them to retaliate.

"Sir," said Ensign Kim, "we're picking up a great deal of electromagnetic activity in the southern hemisphere."

"Their army must be on the move," said Tuvok. "Stand by, Ensign Kim. Tuvok to Lieutenant Torres."

"Torres here."

"Lieutenant, stand by to disengage cloaking device," Tuvok ordered.

"Standing by," B'Elanna replied.

"Tuvok to Tess. Do you read?"

A moment later, Tess' face appeared on the screen. Behind her was some sort of command center, and Elcarian security officers were bustling around behind her. "Commander Tuvok," she greeted him. "You've picked up the electromagnetic activity, I take it?"

"Yes," Tuvok replied.

"According to the plans Elise transmitted, their first line of attack will be ships at the outskirts of the city with troops on the ground. I think that our forces can handle the ground troops if you can eliminate as many of the ships as possible." Tess whirled away from the screen. Someone behind her was shouting. She turned back to Tuvok, her expression grave. "It's started," she said. "Good luck."

"Live long and prosper," replied Tuvok as the screen went blank. "All hands, this is Commander Tuvok. We are about to disengage the cloaking device and enter a war zone." He paused and ordered, "Tuvok to Torres. Disengage cloaking device."

A moment later the response came back, "Cloak disengaged."

"If they didn't know we were here before, they certainly do now," muttered Ensign Kim.

"Ensign Baytart," Tuvok said, "take the conn and take us in, close enough to Elcarthita that was can pinpoint the fighters with as few civilian casualties as possible."

"Yes, sir," Baytart replied, moving to follow Tuvok's orders.

"Tuvok to Doctor. Prepare for casualties. We are about to enter a war zone."

"Standing by," the Doctor replied.

"Ensign Baytart, take us in." The battle for Elcarthita had begun.

...

Janeway struggled to stand, but her foot – she was sure it was broken – would not hold her. She crawled away from Zeklar as fast as she could, but he caught up with her easily, picked her up and threw her against the bed. She did not land on top of it, but against it, and she cried out in pain as she instinctively reached out to catch herself with her wounded arm.

"You don't know how many women would just _die_ to be in your position right now, possessed by me," Zeklar said, advancing towards her menacingly. He stood over her and she raised herself up, bracing herself on the bed, and spat in his face. If she was going down, she was going down fighting. Zeklar wiped her saliva from his face and then slapped her across her face hard. She fell back against the bed and before she could stop him, he was on top of her, roughly insinuating one knee between her thighs, holding both of her wrists in his hands, bringing his weight on top of her. He leaned over and looked directly in her eyes. "Kathryn Janeway," he whispered, "you are mine." He lowered his face to hers and tried to kiss her, but she bit his lip hard and tasted his blood.

He withdrew his face with a cry but did not release her wrists. She struggled under his weight. "So you want to play rough, do you?" he asked. "I excel at that game." At that moment, he released her wrists and as she struggled to get herself upright, he slapped her again, this time much harder.

She became disoriented. Black spots began to form in her vision. _You've got to stay awake_, she told herself._ You've got to fight him._ Vaguely, she was aware of Zeklar's hand between her legs, of his weight on her body, of his hand groping her breast. She felt dizzy. The room was spinning. She began to drift in and out of consciousness. Was that phaser fire outside the door? Zeklar's hand up her shirt. Was that Chakotay's voice? The sound of fabric ripping, a cold, metal glove on her bare skin. _Fight,_ she told herself. But she could not fight any longer, and blackness overcame her vision as she plummeted into the depths of unconsciousness.

...

"I've got it!" Chakotay exclaimed. "Are you ready, Tom?"

"The coast is clear for the moment," Paris replied, but Chakotay could hear the pain in the other man's voice. As Chakotay glanced over, Tom was holding his left arm. But he was standing and alert.

"All right," said Chakotay. "Ready?" Tom raised his phased and prepared to enter the room. "On my mark," said Chakotay. He keyed in the code. "Mark!" The door swished open and they stepped inside.

Tom immediately shot the first guard he saw, then whirled on the other and ordered, "Drop your weapon!" The guard, unaccustomed to questioning orders, complied. Tom kept his eyes and his phaser aimed at the man.

Chakotay's phaser was pointed straight at Zeklar's back. "Get off of her," he said; his voice steel. Zeklar did not move, continuing his groping. Chakotay repeated, "Get off of her or I'll kill you." Something in his tone must have told the other man he was serious. Zeklar stood and turned to face Chakotay, grabbing for his weapon. Chakotay had a split second to recognize him as Aelvin Adinah before he fired his phaser straight into the man's chest and he collapsed on the floor.

"Lock the door," Chakotay barked at Tom. Chakotay felt as if he crossed the room in a single step, although clearly that was impossible. Kathryn was unconscious and looked as if she had been severely beaten. He ran his hand gently over her body, checking for blood. Her clothes were ripped, but none had been entirely removed. Zeklar had not achieved his goal, and Chakotay released a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. Gently, he brushed the hair off of her battered face. "Kathryn," he said softly. "Kathryn, can you hear me?" He tried to coax her back to consciousness.

Slowly, she moved her head and struggled to open her eyes. She tried to speak, but no sound emerged. He saw her mouth his name, "Chakotay." She ran her hands over her own body, checking her condition.

"He didn't… finish," Chakotay said softly, responding to her unspoken fears.

Finally, she managed to open her eyes completely and found the dark, concerned eyes of her first officer staring down at her. When her eyes opened and met his, he smiled in obvious relief, although the concern was still evident in his features. She smiled too, weakly. "I can see in your eyes how bad I must look," she said, her voice barely audible. "I'm fine, Chakotay." She attempted to sit up but fell back on her bad arm. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "Except for my shoulder." As consciousness returned more fully she became aware of another pain. "And my foot. I think it's broken." But she was in worse pain than her tone betrayed and she drew a ragged breath, closing her eyes.

Chakotay ran his hand through her hair again. "We'll get you out of here. I promise," he said. "You'll be back to your incessant coffee drinking and Neelix's cooking in no time."

She tried to laugh, but the movement caused pain to rip through her shoulder, and she felt her eyes threatening to close again. "Chakotay," she managed.

He took her good hand and held it firmly. Tom's voice came from the other side of the room. "Chakotay, what should I do about this guy?" Tom still held his phaser to the guard's throat. The large, uniformed man looked terrified.

Before Chakotay could answer, the door opened and Chakotay pointed his phaser at the man who entered, dropping Kathryn's hand and placing his body between the door and her. The man who entered was a small man with thick glasses. Chakotay recognized him as an Elcarian official. "Close the door behind you and move over there," Chakotay ordered, gesturing with his phaser. The man complied. "Is there anyone else with you?" Chakotay asked.

The man shook his head. "No, but you won't be able to stay holed up here for long. Guards will be here soon. Especially with all the carnage in the hallway." Tom's handiwork.

At the sound of the man's voice, Janeway made a small sound. Chakotay kept his eyes and his weapon on the small man, but he asked, "What is it?"

"Chakotay," she said weakly, "this is Corran Metran. He's not here to turn us in. He's already saved my life twice."

Chakotay slowly lowered his phaser, and Metran relaxed but kept his distance. "Is Commandant Zeklar dead?" Metran asked.

"Just stunned," said Chakotay. He gritted his teeth and said softly, "I wanted to kill him though."

"You still could," said Corran thoughtfully. "But it's better for him to remain alive and stand trial for what he's done." He must have registered the confusion on Chakotay's face, because he said, "I'll explain everything later. Right now we're running out of time."

Chakotay looked down at Kathryn and she nodded her head. She trusted this man; that was enough for him. "Can you get us out of here?" Chakotay asked.

The other man looked thoughtful. "I'll issue orders that remove the guards between here and the shuttle bay. It won't take them all out of your path, but it should basically clear the way. I'll stay here with Zeklar."

"Chakotay," Janeway croaked, "who else was with you?"

"Elise Harcott and two other women."

"I heard General Tarsmith tell Zeklar that they're in the brig aboard his ship."

Chaktoay shook his head. "We can't help them right now. It will have to wait." Then he stopped and addressed the small man again. "Can you send a message?" he asked. Metran nodded. "Contact Leya Harcott. Tell her where her sister is."

Corran nodded. "I'll do my best."

"Hey," called the guard still standing under Tom's phaser, "what about me?"

Corran looked at the guard. "Do you know who I am?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," the guard replied smartly.

"Will you follow my orders?" asked Corran.

"Yes, sir."

"Even if they contradict Commandant Zeklar's orders?" The guard had to think about this. "The Commandant is unwell," Metran continued. "If you follow my orders, you will be acting for his good and for the good of the Elcarian people. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," replied the guard, this time seeming more certain.

"Tom, lower your weapon," ordered Chakotay. Paris obeyed.

"Pick up your gun," Corran ordered the guard. "Keep it on Commandant Zeklar at all times and disarm the Commandant immediately." The guard followed the orders and Corran went to Zeklar's computer. He had keyed in Zeklar's orders so many times that formulating and transmitting his own seemed simple.

Chakotay leaned down and spoke softly in Janeway's ear. "Kathryn, I'm going to get you out of here, okay? I'm going to lift you and I'm going to try not to hurt you." She nodded, her eyes open and meeting his fully. "If I do hurt you, I'm sorry," he said, sliding his arms under her back and knees, lifting her and cradling her against his chest. She winced with the movement, but he was very gentle and she made no sound.

"You're all set, Commander," said Corran. "The shuttle bay is directly at the end of this corridor." It seemed that in the span of just a few minutes the meek, small man with glasses had grown three inches; he suddenly seemed a strong, confident leader. He took Janeway's hand. "Captain Janeway, it has been my honor to serve you in the small way that I could. I hope next time we meet it will be under more pleasant circumstances."

Janeway nodded. "Thank you."

"Get going," said Corran. "Some guards aren't as malleable as our friend here, and it won't take them long to figure out that things aren't going as planned.

The door opened, and Chakotay hurried down the corridor, Janeway cradled against him and Tom behind, his phaser at the ready.

...

Leya sat in the Sisters' headquarters on Echo Street, monitoring the battle and their communications, trying to pick up as much information as possible about their invaders. At this point, there was little information to be had. Five small ships had already landed to deploy ground troops, but the electromagnetic activity in the southern hemisphere suggested that more ships were on their way. She received a message that _Voyager_ had already destroyed one of the five ships and she smiled tightly. Thoughts of _Voyager_ led her to thoughts of her sister, who was either dead or captured, she was sure of it.

Suddenly, Bella spoke from behind her, "Leya, someone's trying to contact us. It looks like the communication is originating on one of the ships from the southern hemisphere."

Leya leapt into action and her heart raced. Was it Elise? "They're using a frequency I've never seen before," Leya murmured as she frantically tried to adjust her instruments to compensate. "It's some sort of tri-band signal. It must be able to cut through all the radiation and interference down there." Finally, she cleared up the signal, and she and Bella heard a familiar voice.

"This is Corran Metran attempting to contact Leya Harcott. Do you read me?"

Leya jumped to the conn. "Don't try anything," she said threateningly. "I know who you are and who you're with. How did you know where I was? What do you want?"

"You have every reason to think ill of me, Miss Harcott, but I am telling you the truth when I say I have only Elcar's best interests at heart. I no longer work for the man commanding this invasion. He is… incapacitated… and I think that there is a way to bring this invasion to a swift conclusion." Corran spoke with the precision and flare of a practiced politician, but something in his tone made Leya want to trust him. She was so shocked by his eloquent speech, she did not know how to reply. He continued, seeming slightly flustered himself, "But that is not the primary reason I contacted you. Commander Chakotay told me where to find you. I wanted to tell you that your sister is alive and imprisoned on a ship called the _Dark Sky_, which should be arriving at Elcarthita within the half hour. That is all I can tell you at this time." With that, the screen went black.

For a moment, Leya sat there in astonishment. She did not know what to make of this. Should she trust this man, or was it a trap? Had he really spoken to Chakotay and had the Commander given him her location or of his own free will, or under coercion? She saw Bella looking at her anxiously, and she knew she had to make a decision.

"Leya to _Voyager_," she said as she pressed the appropriate buttons.

"Tuvok here."

"I've just received a message that Elise is being held captive on a ship called the _Dark Sky_ that is scheduled to arrive here shortly. All of our teams are pretty busy on the surface. Do you think you might be able to spare a few people for a rescue team?"

"We will do our best," said Tuvok. "We have not sustained heavy damage… yet."

"Thank you," said Leya. "Keep us updated."

"I will. Tuvok out."

Leya contacted Tess and gave her the news. Tess seemed to have more pressing issues on her mind. Elcarian Security and Police Forces were no match for Zeklar's army, and, at the moment, it seemed that despite _Voyager_'s assistance, their surrender would be inevitable.

...

"I've never seen controls like this before," said Tom. "It's going to take me a couple minutes to figure it out."

"Well figure fast," said Chakotay. "Even as dumb as these guards are, it's not going to take them long to figure out that an unauthorized shuttle launch is in progress." Chakotay was still holding Kathryn against him. She needed medical attention badly and was drifting in and out of consciousness.

She murmured, "Phoebe," or "Justin," or "Mom." Chakotay didn't think she knew where she was anymore, and perhaps that was for the best. There seemed to be no bed on this shuttle, and no medical equipment that he could find. Carefully, he laid Kathryn on the floor behind the two seats. Tom, in one of the chairs, frantically worked at the controls. Chakotay removed his jacket and tenderly wrapped it around Janeway.

"Chakotay, I've got the launch sequence programmed," said Tom. "I could use your help."

"I'll be right there," Chakotay replied. Kathryn moaned in pain. He touched her forehead and brushed hair out of her face. Her skin was burning. She was shaking. He had to get her to the Doctor. He caressed her face again. "Hang on, Kathryn. We'll be home soon."

"Chakotay," she moaned through her delirium. He didn't know if she was aware of him or if this was part of her delirious fantasy.

"I'm right here, Kathryn," he said. "I'll be right here." She seemed to rest at his words, and he jumped up to join Tom at the console.

"It's a little tricky," said Tom. "Prepare to disengage docking locks." Tom keyed in a sequence and the shuttle bay door opened with a loud sound. Outside, they saw the thick swirling yellow air of the southern hemisphere.

"Docking locks disengaged," said Chakotay, and the shuttle lifted from the floor with a jerk. Janeway cried out in pain with the movement. "It's okay, Kathryn," Chakotay said softly, glancing back at her.

"We're not far from the border with the northern hemisphere," said Tom, "but until then, this is going to be rough." They emerged into the atmosphere and the turbulence knocked the shuttle from side to side. Chakotay and Tom lurched with the impact, nearly falling out of their chairs. Janeway cried out as she was thrown against the bulkhead.

"Tom, I thought you were the best pilot we had," Chakotay said through clenched teeth, and though he was attempting to jest, Tom could hear the tension in his voice.

"I'm doing the best I can, Commander," he said, keeping his tone light. Another lurch. Another moan from behind them. "Chakotay, work on those stabilizers," said Tom. This atmosphere was impossible to navigate.

"Okay," Chakotay said after a moment, "I think I've got them calibrated now."

"Stop! Leave me alone. Don't touch me. Don't touch me!" they heard. Paris and Chakotay exchanged a glance.

"She's getting worse," said Chakotay, looking over at the restless figure lying on the floor. But he knew he had to concentrate on the controls and the task in front of him if he was going to save her or himself. He turned back to the console.

"We're about to emerge into the northern hemisphere," said Tom. "Get ready for a major atmospheric change."

"We're also probably going to emerge into the middle of a battle," said Chakotay. "Does this thing have any weapons?"

Tom shrugged. "I don't know, sir. It took me a few minutes just to figure out how to fly her."

Chakotay studied the panel in front of him: stabilizers, inertial dampers, landing gear. Maybe this panel was weapons. He pressed several controls and saw pictures of various torpedoes appear on the screen. "Here it is," he said.

"No! No!" Janeway murmured. "Get away from me! Chakotay, help me…"

Chakotay took a deep breath, trying to keep his composure. With each outburst, he felt as if his heart would break. "I'm right here, Kathryn," he called back to her.

"Emerging into the northern hemisphere," reported Tom, "on my mark. Mark." With a jolt, the atmosphere around them cleared and changed. Kathryn cried out in pain. Chakotay adjusted stabilizers to compensate, and their flying seemed to smooth out. There was less air fire than Chakotay expected. Most of the firing seemed to be coming from the southern forces and was aimed at the ground. The northern forces only had small fighters. With a jolt, they realized one of the small fighters had fired on them.

"Elcarian shuttle, this is Commander Chakotay of the starship _Voyager_. Hold your fire. I repeat, hold your fire."

A friendly face appeared on the view screen. "Commander, this is Tess. I'm glad to see you."

"Tess," Chakotay said urgently, "Captain Janeway is with us. She needs urgent medical attention."

"_Voyager_ is uncloaked, Commander," said Tess.

At that moment, a blast rocked the shuttle and the view screen went blank. "Commander," said Paris, "I think that Zeklar's forces have figured out we're not one of them."

...

"Mr. Neelix and Ensign Vorik, please report to the Bridge," ordered Tuvok. He had thought long and hard about who he could spare to send on a rescue mission, and despite Neelix's lack of experience in military matters, his ability to think quickly and the fact that he was not needed aboard _Voyager_ at this moment made him a logical choice. He had thought of Seven or Harry, but he needed them on the bridge.

A turbolift door opened, and Neelix and Vorik entered the bridge. "What can I do for you, Mr. Vulcan?" Neelix asked.

"Two members of the Sisters of Light have been captured and are being held aboard a ship called the _Dark Sky_. Your assignment is to beam over to that ship, find them, and return with them to _Voyager_."

Before Neelix could even respond, Harry alerted them, "Sir, several enemy sips are emerging from the southern hemisphere."

"On screen," Tuvok commanded. Several cruisers that were slightly larger than _Voyager_ appeared on the view screen, flanked by a huge battleship. "Locate the Dark Sky and transmit its coordinates to the transporter room," Tuvok told Harry. He dismissed Neelix and Vorik, and they were on their way.

Suddenly, _Voyager_ was rocked with a blast. "Sir," said Harry, "we're under attack by two of the smaller ships."

"Return fire," Tuvok ordered. "Evasive maneuvers." _Voyager_ fired on one of the ships and Tuvok saw a small explosion.

"We've damaged their propulsion system," said Harry. Another blast rocked the ship, and sparks flew from the console behind Ensign Kim.

"Damage report," Tuvok said.

"Minimal damage to Decks Two through Twelve," Kim replied.

"Return fire," Tuvok ordered. "Arm torpedoes. Target their engine core."

"Torpedoes armed," Harry replied.

"Fire," Tuvok said. One of the ships exploded before their eyes, but the other was still firing on them. Another hit.

"We've sustained damage to weapons systems," Kim reported. "Torpedo launchers are disabled."

"Fire phasers at will," said Tuvok.

"Sir," said Harry, sounding alarmed, "we're receiving a transmission. It seems to be coming from an enemy shuttle."

"On screen," Tuvok said.

"I'm having a hard time getting it," said Harry. "There's lots of interference."

Another hit to _Voyager_. "Evasive maneuvers, Ensign Baytart," Tuvok ordered, his voice sounding slightly strained.

"Evasive maneuvers," he acknowledged.

"I've got it!" exclaimed Harry. "Audio only."

They heard a familiar voice. "_Voyager_, this is Commander Chakotay. Do you read me?"

"Yes, Commander. What is your location?"

"We're on an enemy shuttle. I'm here with Mr. Paris and Captain Janeway. Ensign Paris and the Captain are injured and our shuttle is under attack. Can you beam us out?"

"There's too much interference, Commander," said Kim. "We'll have to get in closer."

"Our propulsion systems are disabled," said Chakotay. "Our shields are failing. I don't know how much longer we can hold together."

"Ensign Baytart," said Tuvok, "bring us as close as you can to that shuttle. Maximum speed. Continue evasive maneuvers. Ensign Kim, be prepared to beam out the away team on my mark."

"Beam us directly to sickbay, Harry," said Chakotay. His transmission was breaking up. They could hear the increased static. "Our shields… failing… not much…" And the transmission faded.

"Course laid in," said Baytart.

"Engage," Tuvok ordered. _Voyager_ glided among the other ships. She was sleek and fast by comparison to the southern battle cruisers. The enemy fighters were so surprised to see _Voyager_ coming closer to them, they barely had time to fire before she had passed them. Tess and her team were doing a pretty good job of keeping them distracted in the meantime.

_Voyager_ approached the shuttle and Ensign Kim said, "I've got a lock of them, Commander."

"Beam them directly to sickbay," said Tuvok. "Ensign Baytart, take us out of range of enemy fighters."

...

Neelix and Vorik materialized into a deserted corridor of the alien ship, and Vorik immediately accessed a computer console. Neelix leaned over his shoulder, anxiously watching. Their ears were peeled for approaching footsteps, and Neelix kept one hand on the phaser at his belt.

Vorik pointed to the map he'd pulled up on the screen. "Here," he said. "This is the brig." The ship was not large and they were not far away. "The ship seems to have a minimum crew compliment," observed Vorik. "I do not believe they intend to operate it for longer than one duty shift at a time. There will be several guards at the prison." He pulled up a schematic of the brig on the screen. "Here, here and here." He pointed.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps approaching, and they ducked behind a bulkhead. They saw a soldier wearing a dark grey uniform and a severe expression. As the sound of the soldier's steps disappeared down the corridor, Vorik and Neelix emerged.

"We should hurry," said Neelix, and they began their treacherous journey through the ship.


	10. Aftermath

Chapter 10: Aftermath

Elise was pacing back and forth in the small cell, trying to formulate a plan of action. No tactic would persuade the general to negotiate. He had signed his life away to this Commandant Zeklar for all she could tell. He seemed capable of nothing beyond following orders. Mira sat in a corner, hugging her knees to her chest. She had been quiet for several hours; so had Elise except for the sound of her pacing. Two guards stood planted outside their cell, so there wasn't much they could talk about anyway.

Finally, Mira said, "I can't believe Selanna is dead."

Elise looked at her with astonishment. "Is that what you've been thinking about this whole time?" she asked.

"What else can I think about?" said Mira mournfully. "One of our best friends is dead. We couldn't protect her. We can't even give her a decent burial."

Elise approached the younger woman and knelt next to her. Sometimes she forgot that Mira was only nineteen years old. Elise put her hand on Mira's shoulder. "Mira," she said gently, "Selanna knew the risks, as we all do. We can't sit here and regret what is done." She lowered her voice. "We have to come up with a plan for getting out of here. I am not going to spend this war locked up in a brig."

Mira sat back, deep in thought again, but this time Elise knew she was thinking actively of how to get out of here. Elise resumed her thoughts and her pacing. Suddenly, they heard the sound of the prison door opening. Elise whirled around to see Neelix and another member of _Voyager_'s crew burst through the doors. The guards were a split second too late as well, and before they could call for help, they were lying in heaps on the floor.

"Minister Harcott," said Neelix anxiously, "are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Mr. Neelix," said Elise.

The other crew member, who appeared to be the same species as Tuvok, was working frantically at the controls and before long, the forcefield that had been holding them was disabled. Elise and Mira hurriedly stepped out of the cell. Neelix grabbed Elise's arm and Vorik took Mira's. Elise met Mira's frightened expression with a reassuring smile. They had never been transported before, but Elise had seen _Voyager_'s crew undergo the process safely more than once.

"Neelix to _Voyager_," he said, tapping his communicator. "Four to beam over."

At that moment, the door to the brig opened, and three guards stepped in, weapons raised. Just at the moment when Elise expected to feel a laser beam cut through her body, she felt a tingling sensation and saw the brig and the guards in front of her dematerialize.

...

On the _Black Moon_, Corran had formulated a plan. The generals commanding the fleet still had no idea that Zeklar was no longer giving orders. They were simply following his last orders and assumed he did not wish to be disturbed in his hour of triumph. Metran smiled to himself. For a little man with thick glasses, he had come up with a brilliant plan to change history, if he did say so himself.

...

Chakotay did not think he had ever been so glad to see the Doctor as he was in that moment. The moment before, the Elcarian shuttle had been falling apart around him, Tom had been knocked from the pilot's seat, and Chakotay had been scrambling for one last ditch effort to save their lives. Now, they were safely in sickbay, the Doctor ordering Kathryn and Tom to be placed on biobeds immediately. Kathryn was in Chakotay's arms, unconscious, and her body had gone limp against him, her breathing shallow. Two orderlies hoisted Tom onto a bed, and Chakotay cradled the Captain to him. He might never have put her down, but the Doctor said, "Right here, Commander." Chakotay gently placed her down on the bed and the Doctor began to run his tricorder over her.

"Her foot is broken," said Chakotay anxiously. "Her shoulder is injured. She's been delirious for the better part of an hour."

"Thank you for your assistance, Commander, but I am quite capable of making my own diagnostic. Why don't you go to the bridge where you belong?"

"Inform me of any changes, Doctor," Chakotay said. The Doctor acknowledged the order and Chakotay hurried towards the bridge. When he arrived, he was greeted warmly by his crew and found that Elise and Mira were already there. The rescue operation must have been successful. "What's our status?" he asked Tuvok.

"We've sustained heavy damage to propulsion and weapons systems. I do not advise returning to the battle until we've been able to make repairs," Tuvok said.

Chakotay nodded slowly. "Tess is in charge of our forces on the planet," said Elise.

"Mr. Kim, put a communication through to Tess," Chakotay ordered.

After a moment, Harry replied, "I'm trying, Commander, but something is jamming our transmissions." Chakotay and Elise shared a concerned glance.

A moment later, Tuvok added, "Sir, the battle seems to have stopped." It was true. Every one of Zeklar's ships had stopped, and a moment later, they understood why.

A transmission appeared on the view screen. Chakotay recognized the location; it was Zeklar's quarters, and the two figures on the screen were Zeklar and Corran Metran. Zeklar did not appear to realize that his statements were being made public. Elise and Mira gasped when they saw Zeklar's face on the screen.

"That bitch!" Zeklar exclaimed. "How dare she ignore me. And her impudent crew. I'll destroy them all. And my own men, my own generals, they are nothing but ignorant fools. They can't even stop a _woman_ from escaping."

"Yes, sir," said Metran, appearing meek.

Zeklar shook his head nonchalantly. "It doesn't matter. They think they'll get government positions after this, but the truth is, they'll never move beyond what they are now. They'll always be pawns under my command."

"What of the Elcarian people, sir?" asked Corran.

Chakotay's mouth began to turn into a smile. He looked at Elise, and she was beginning to grin as well. They both saw what Corran was doing. They also saw Zeklar's own ships beginning to turn towards his battlecruiser. The Commandant seemed unaware of it.

"I'll tell you exactly what I told Janeway," Zeklar continued. "If the Elcarian people are stupid enough to choose someone like Aelvin Adinah for their leader, then they don't deserve to make their own decisions." Suddenly, Zeklar noticed a light blinking on his desk. "What is this?" he asked suspiciously. Slowly, the realization dawned on him, and he grabbed Corran by the throat. "You deceitful bastard! You've betrayed me. What have you done?"

"Harry," Chakotay barked, "can you get him out of there?"

"I'm having difficulty establishing a lock, sir," Kim replied. Corran's face was turning blue.

"Hurry, Mr. Kim," Chakotay said urgently. He wondered what had happened to the guard that had been keeping an eye on Zeklar. Dead?

"Got him!" said Harry triumphantly, and an instant later, Corran disappeared from the screen in front of them, and Zeklar screamed in rage as he realized there was no one under his hands.

Corran reappeared on _Voyager_'s bridge, coughing and gasping for breath. When he looked around and realized what had happened, he looked up at Chakotay and said, "Thank you, Commander."

"Captain Janeway says you saved her life twice," Chakotay replied, "so I still owe you one."

Then Corran realized that Elise was standing next to Chakotay. He approached her slowly and extended a hand, which she took hesitantly. "Minister Harcott," he said, "please allow me to apologize for Commandant Zeklar and all the hardship he has caused our people. I ask for your forgiveness for the part I have played in all of this."

Elise nodded, their hands still clasped. "Minister Metran," she said, "I think you and I have much to discuss. We must call a cease-fire. Call off the invasion, and I will order my forces to pull back."

Metran nodded, releasing her hand. "Vice-Commandant Metran to all ships," he said. It was the first time anyone knew he had such a title. "Commandant Zeklar has been removed from command. Minister Harcott and I are declaring a cease-fire. Repeat, all units, cease fire. Anyone who does not obey these orders will be tried for murder under Elcarian law. Cease fire."

Elise made a similar announcement to all of her forces. Chakotay ordered that quarters aboard _Voyager_ be provided for Elise, Mira and Corran, if they wished, but they all chose to return to Elcar as soon as possible. When he had seen them off, Chakotay had only one destination in mind upon leaving the transporter room.

...

"Well, Mr. Paris," said the Doctor, "aside from some tenderness in that arm, you're all set to return to duty." Paris was sitting up on his biobed and B'Elanna stood next to him, holding his hand.

"Thanks, Doc," Tom replied. "How's the Captain?"

"Her injuries were severe," said the Doctor. "Now, if you'll excuse me?" Tom nodded, and the Doctor went back over to the Captain's biobed.

"What's happening?" Tom asked B'Elanna, straining his ear for the sound of weapons fire. "It sounds like the battle stopped."

B'Elanna nodded. "It did. Minister Metran lured Adinah, or Zeklar, whoever he is, into exposing his true colors to everyone. Then even his own generals turned on him. Metran is back on Elcar now, negotiation with Minister Harcott." She looked at him seriously for a moment and hugged him tightly. "I'm just glad you're okay," she said.

Tom wrapped his arms around her and said, "Me too. And don't worry, I'll tell you all about the adventure we had."

She nodded. "What was it like down there? How did you find your way around?"

They began to walk out of sickbay, and Tom said, "That was the strange thing. Chakotay…" He abruptly stopped as they came face to face with the Commander at the door. Tom's face colored.

"What was that, Ensign?" Chakotay asked.

Before Tom could answer, B'Elanna reached out and touched Chakotay's arm. "Welcome home," she said.

"Thanks," he replied. He looked worn. "Glad to see you're up and about, Tom."

"Thank you, sir," said Paris. He could see the other man was looking over his head as inconspicuously as possible, so he and B'Elanna made their exit. As they were leaving, Chakotay could hear Tom saying, "Like I was saying, the strange thing was that Chakotay seemed to know exactly where to go…"

Not that it had done him much good, Chakotay mused. He went over to Kathryn's biobed where the Doctor was working. "How is she?" he asked, taking her hand in his.

"Her injuries are severe," the Doctor replied. "She has a bad concussion. Her left shoulder was badly dislocated, and her arm was broken, as was her foot. Some of the cuts on her face were never treated and had become infected. The infection was spreading, which caused the fever and delirium. Her body was covered with cuts and bruises. She is severely malnourished. I don't know what kind of torture she was forced to undergo."

"Is she going to recover?" Chakotay asked. His heart was beating so loudly he was sure the Doctor could hear it.

"I believe so, but it's too early to tell for certain," the Doctor replied. "I believe I have contained the infection, but her immune system is very weak. I've been able to repair most of the neural damage caused by the concussion, and I've also repaired her broken bones, but she is still very sick."

"Doctor, may I speak with you privately?"

"Of course, Commander." The Doctor escorted Chakotay into his office.

Chakotay took a deep breath, unsure how to begin, but knowing he had to broach the subject. "When I found Captain Janeway, it appeared as if Commandant Zeklar's intention was… was sexual assault." Chakotay could barely get the words out. "He clearly hadn't succeeded at the moment we walked in, but…" Chakotay couldn't finish the sentence and was ashamed at the crack in his voice as he spoke. He could not bear the thought.

"You can put your mind at ease, Commander," the Doctor said gently. "I have found no evidence that Captain Janeway was raped, and, due to the nature and placement of some of her other injuries, I did seriously investigate that possibility."

Chakotay realized he was shaking. He put a hand on the Doctor's desk to steady himself, and it took him a moment before he could say, "Thank you, Doctor."

"Commander, you must be exhausted. Why don't you go to your quarters and get some rest?"

Chakotay looked up, his face more relaxed now, and said, "Thanks for the advice, but I'd rather stay here, if you don't mind."

"Of course," the Doctor replied, and left his office to resume his work. Chakotay pulled up a chair next to Kathryn's biobed and sat there, holding her hand when he wasn't in the Doctor's way. He remained there for several hours, despite the Doctor's constant suggestions that he return to his quarters. He knew it would be far more restful for him to sit here, watching her, seeing the Doctor patiently work over her.

At about 0300, Chakotay realized he had fallen asleep in his chair when he felt a soft squeeze on his hand. His eyes opened and he found himself looking through dim light into Kathryn's eyes. She was looking back at him. "How long have you been here?" she asked softly.

"Since the battle stopped and I could get away from the bridge," he replied. He moved to the edge of his chair and brushed a stray hair out of her face. "How are you feeling?"

She tried to smile, but he could see on her face that she still felt a great deal of pain. "I'm fine," she said, with some difficulty. He did not believe her, and she amended, "Better than I was." He managed a smile at this response, but as Janeway studied his face, her own expression grew concerned. "Chakotay, you look like you've been to hell and back."

"I have," he said, "but I'm fine. Now."

She looked at him with open, honest eyes, and he looked back, meeting her gaze, as if by this exchange, each could communicate to the other all they had felt and experienced in the past two weeks. "Thank you for coming after me," she said.

"Kathryn," he began. There was so much to say that he could not put in words.

At that moment, the Doctor emerged from his office. "Captain," he said, "you are awake."

"Yes, Doctor," she managed.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Not bad," she replied. "Better than I did."

The Doctor nodded, running his tricorder over her. "Your injuries are severe, Captain. You must rest." The Doctor looked up at Chakotay, and added, "That goes for you as well, Commander."

Chakotay looked at Kathryn and she nodded. "Okay," he said, standing up. "I'll be back in a few hours." He leaned over and pressed his lips against her forehead, and with a squeeze of her hand, he left sickbay.

...

It was only a few hours later that Chakotay reentered sickbay, having slept restlessly, dreaming of Kathryn in prison, Kathryn and Zeklar, Kathryn being raped. The dreams were much worse than the nightmares he had suffered while she was in prison. Combinations of things that had really happened to them with images of the past few days. They were much less sequential and realistic than the nightmares about the prison. They felt like normal, albeit bad, dreams. The Doctor was sitting in his office, and Chakotay peeked through the door.

"Good morning, Commander," the Doctor greeted him. "Did you get some rest?"

"A little," Chakotay replied. "How is she?"

The Doctor smiled. "I have good news," he said. "She is out of danger."

Chakotay's face broke into a real smile; for the first time since Kathryn had disappeared. She awoke a few moments later to find Chakotay standing over her and could tell from the smile on his face that the Doctor had given him good news about her condition. "Good morning," he said.

"Good morning," she replied. "Now, can I get a report, Commander."

His grin grew wider. "Now I _know_ you're feeling better," he said. He filled her in on the invasion, the Sisters of the Light, the rescue mission that he and Tom had embarked on to find her. In his voice, she could hear the fear and the pain as he described their desperate search for her.

"How did you manage to find the prison in that huge complex?" she asked. "I tried to keep track of where I was when Zeklar showed me around, and it was hard enough when I could see where I was."

His cheeks colored slightly as he explained, "Actually, I had seen it in a vision quest."

"A vision quest?"

"Yes. I was so… so upset about what had happened, that I tried to center myself by contacting my spirit guide. In my vision, I saw our exact route. I saw exactly where your cell was."

Janeway watched Chakotay carefully as he spoke, and after a moment, she replied, "I thought your dealings with your spirit guide were always very abstract."

He nodded. "They always have been. That's why I was so surprised to find the corridors looked exactly like my vision when we arrived." He studied her closely for a moment, as if knowing there was more to her question. "Did you have a similar experience?" he asked.

"In some ways," she replied. Now it was her turn to color, and he looked at her quizzically. "I had several dreams," she explained. "It wasn't quite the same. They weren't literal in the way yours were. But every time, I felt afterwards that I had actually seen you and spoken to you. I felt certain that you were going to come and find me." She knew she had confessed to dreaming about him, and she did not meet his searching eyes.

He allowed her to drop the subject, curious as he was, and said, "I just came by to see how you were doing. I have to go down to the planet for a meeting with Elise and Corran Metran this morning."

Janeway nodded. She was getting tired anyway. "I'll expect a full report when you get back, Commander," she said. "In a couple days, I'll be able to join you myself." He nodded, and squeezed her hand as her eyes closed and she fell back to sleep.

...

When Chakotay arrived at the Elcarian capital, he was escorted by a young security officer through the halls of the capital building and to a large, elegant conference room. The walls were wood paneled, and shelves of books lined the walls. On one wall loomed a huge painting of Elcar's two suns, and a large wooden table filled the center of the room. Elise, Corran and three others he did not recognize were seated at the table.

When she saw Chakotay, Elise stood up and hugged him warmly. "How are you?" she asked quietly.

He smiled. "Better than I have been for two weeks. Captain Janeway is going to be fine."

Elise smiled, too. "Good," she said. She squeezed his arm and turned to the security guard. "Thank you, Lief. You may go." The man left the room, and Elise turned to the table, switching into official mode. "Commander Chakotay," she said formally, "thank you for joining us. You know Minister Metran." Corran stood and shook Chakotay's hand. "And this is Seybrook Tomson, Minister of Health; Artura Wizen, Minister of Justice; and Gailor Yent, Minister of Education." As Elise introduced each of them, they stood and shook Chakotay's hand. All three of them were older than Chakotay, with white hair and distinguished expressions.

"Commander Chakotay," said Minister Wizen, "we would all like to thank you for the assistance provided by you and your crew. You helped save many lives."

Chakotay nodded, wondering why they had asked him to this meeting. Elise gestured to their chairs, and they sat down around the table.

"Commander," she said, "we have a long agenda for this meeting, and we know you have many duties on board _Voyager_, so we'll only ask you to stay for the first part. We've asked you here as an advisor and as an ally, and also because we felt that you and your crew deserve an explanation for what was done to your Captain."

Corran cleared his throat and said, "Let me begin. I must apologize for my involvement in this. It began very simply; the Commandant wished to expose the living conditions of the Elcarians in the southern hemisphere. He wanted us to stop pretending they didn't exist. I didn't approve of his methods, but I believed in his cause. Gradually, things started to get out of hand, but I felt my hands were tied. If I disobeyed him, he would kill me."

"You made a pretty dramatic move against him yesterday," Chakotay said. "What changed your mind?"

"It was Captain Janeway, actually. She told me it was a mental battle, not a physical one."

Wizer turned to Chakotay and explained, "Zeklar, which is his real name, is waiting in prison to stand trial for murder, treason and a long list of other crimes."

"That's one of the things we wanted to talk to you about," Elise said.

Minister Wizer continued. He was a soft-spoken, articulate man with a long, white beard. His grey eyes held compassion, and when he looked at Chakotay, Chakotay felt as if the older man could see right through him. "We were hoping that you and Captain Janeway would be able to remain here for a few days so that you could testify at his trial."

"I can't speak for Captain Janeway," said Chakotay, "But I'll testify, as long as it's all right with her."

"We hope to get this trial underway as soon as possible, Commander," said Wizer.

"In the meantime," said Minister Tomson, "you and your crew can consider yourselves our guests."

"I'll have to discuss it with Captain Janeway and our senior staff," said Chakotay. The other men nodded.

"The streets seem to be relatively safe," Elise said. "There are still some skirmishes happening, but Zeklar's generals seem to have their men under control."

"We have a lot of work to do," said Wizer.

"The biggest challenge," said Minister Yent, "is going to be integrating the people who've been living under Zeklar's tyranny. They don't even understand what it means to think for themselves."

"Don't underestimate them, Minister," said Chakotay. "You never know what can happen when you begin to open someone's mind to new possibilities."

They continued through the morning, speaking of how to hold new elections, how to integrate the people, whether there was a possibility of making the southern hemisphere more inhabitable. Mostly Chakotay listened silently, adding his opinion only when he felt he had something crucial to say. They discussed the previous day's damage and which repairs had to be done immediately. So far they knew of 1200 casualties. At this figure, Chakotay exhaled softly. In one day? There was a great deal of work to be done, but Chakotay knew that Elise and the other Ministers were up to the challenge, now that they had been liberated from the tyranny of Zeklar and the secret existence of the inhabitants of the southern hemisphere. At the end of the day, he was tired, but felt satisfied. He and Elise walked out of the conference together.

"So, what will the Sisters of Light become now that your underground organization has been exposed?" Chakotay asked.

"We've decided to disband the organization, actually," Elise replied. "We all are going to take positions in the new government. Leya is going to be in charge of trying to find a way to make the southern hemisphere inhabitable."

Chakotay smiled. "I'm sure she's up to the challenge."

Elise stopped walking and touched his arm. "How is your captain?" she asked, genuine concern on her face.

Chakotay's expression also became more serious. "She's well on the way to recovery from her physical injuries," he replied. He was thinking about all the mental damage she may have suffered, and how long it would take her to recover from that.

"I understand," said Elise.


	11. Revelations and Healings

Chapter 11: Revelations and Healings

Kathryn sat in her quarters, wrapped in her pink silk robe. The Doctor had finally released her a few hours ago, and after a sonic shower, she had curled up in her nightgown. She tried not to think about the events of the past several weeks, but at the same time, she knew that the thoughts were inevitable. Each time Zeklar's visage rose in her mind, she shuddered. She knew that he was being put on trial, and that she would probably have to testify. She knew that she would, too, relating every detail of the horrible things he had done to her. In that public forum, she would never betray how deeply he had affected her; but here, in the privacy of her own quarters, she felt tears sting the back of her eyelids as the images of her imprisonment rose before her.

She heard her door chime. "Come in," she said, brushing away the vestige of tears from her eyes. She was not surprised at all when Chakotay entered the room.

He paused in the doorway, seeing her in her robe. "I can come back later if you're resting, Captain," he said.

She shook her head and gestured to the chair next to hers. "Please, come in, Commander," she said. "I'd like a report."

"I spent the day listening to negotiations between Elcarian ministers," he said, taking the chair she indicated. "I think I might lose my mind if I have to listen to any more discussions about government planning." He smiled, his tone light.

She responded in kind. "It doesn't sound like my idea of a good time."

"Zeklar's trial is set to begin the day after tomorrow," Chakotay offered. He noticed the shadow that passed over her eyes at the former Commandant's name. "Minister Harcott has asked both of us to testify, if you're well enough."

"Oh, I will be," said Janeway. "I want to make sure that bastard gets everything he deserves." Her voice had a hard edge to it that betrayed how much she had been hurt.

"I'm sorry," Chakotay said.

Janeway shook her head and raised her eyes to meet his fully for the first time since he had entered the room. "You did everything you could, and I'm grateful for it." He acknowledged her with a nod and they sat there in silence for a moment. She rose and went to the replicator. "Coffee, black," she ordered, and it materialized in front of her. "Commander, would you like some tea?"

"Sure," he replied. She ordered the tea and brought the hot beverages over to where they were sitting, returning to her chair. He watched her, thinking the pink robe made her look particularly vulnerable and beautiful. Then he pushed the thought away, knowing he shouldn't be thinking those thoughts after everything she had been through.

"Chakotay, tell me about the visions you had."

The turn in the conversation surprised him, but he remembered that she also mentioned dreams, and he was curious if there might be some connection. "The night you disappeared," he said, "I had the first dream. Each time, I could hear you screaming. I was in the stone corridors of the prison, trying to find you. Every night the dreams became more vivid." He took a breath. "I was so unsettled that I decided to contact my spirit guide. My guide led me to the same place I had seen in my nightmares. In my vision, I saw the exact path I needed to take in order to reach you."

"Have you ever had an experience like that before?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Never. I never even heard of someone having a vision quest that was that literal."

"I wonder if there's a connection," she mused.

"A connection?"

She paused. "I told you I had dreams," she said, and he nodded, patiently letting her speak in her own time. "I dreamt about New Earth. Every dream was close to a real event that happened, but not exact. When I thought I couldn't stand any more of the pain, I would have a dream, and I'd wake up feeling as if it had been real, thinking I was actually on New Earth, with you."

"We've found evidence that the Elcarians had telepathic powers at one point," Chakotay said. "I wonder if there's some truth to that, if that's somehow connected to our visions."

"If it was," said Janeway, "it certainly seems that someone wanted to help us." Chakotay looked thoughtful. "What is it?"

"Seven had an experience on the planet," he said. "It was one of the first clues we had about what really happened. An old woman stopped her and told her that what we were looking for, we wouldn't find in the light."

"Interesting," Janeway replied. "Commander, I want you to assemble an away team to investigate this matter, with Minister Harcott's permission, of course."

"Of course, Captain." He paused, awkwardly. The tone of their conversation had been so formal; so businesslike. He knew that this was her attempt to shield him from their recent traumatic experiences, as well as to push them out of her own mind, but after all they had been through, he could not leave the conversation like this. He sat back, taking a sip of his tea, allowing the moment to pass. Kathryn's eyes looked far away. He reached out his hand and brushed her knee, his fingers gently caressing the silk of her robe. "Kathryn," he said softly.

She looked up at him, and he could see pain in her eyes; pain that she was trying so hard to hide. She shook her head. She wasn't ready to talk about her experiences with him.

"I just want you to know that I'm here if you need me," he said.

She nodded. "Thank you, Chakotay."

...

Seven of Nine looked around and pointed. "There," she said to her two companions, Tuvok and Neelix. "The woman approached me from that alley." The three officers approached the alleyway slowly. Tuvok had his hand at the ready, prepared to draw his phaser at any moment. When they reached the alleyway, however, it appeared deserted.

All three officers took out their tricorders and began scanning the area. "I am picking up some unusual interphasic readings," Tuvok observed.

"I think the source is over here," said Neelix, gesturing to what appeared to be a cellar door in the center of the alley. "The readings are unusually strong right here." Seven and Tuvok approached Neelix and saw that what he said was true. Tuvok attempted to pry open the cellar door, but it would not budge. Even with the assistance of Neelix and Seven, he could not open the door.

"Maybe there's another entrance," Neelix suggested.

"Perhaps," Tuvok replied. "I will go around to the other side of the building while you and Seven remain here. Do not leave this location until I return."

"Aye, aye, Commander," Neelix replied. He and Seven watched Tuvok disappear around the corner. "Well," Neelix said, "I guess now we wait."

"Perhaps not," Seven said, staring at her tricorder. The readings were rapidly fluctuating and the door in front of them began to glow in a strange iridescent blue. Seven and Neelix slowly backed away from the glowing door, but it became brighter and brighter. Suddenly, it opened, into a pool of light.

Neelix found himself dragging his feet. He felt like he was caught in a tide and could not get away. When he looked to his right, he could see that Seven was also moving towards the door even though she tried to back away. "It's pulling us in!" he shouted.

"Seven of Nine to Commander Tuvok," Seven said, tapping her comm badge. There was no answer.

"This whatever-it-is must be interfering with our communications!" said Neelix. He was trying to run away from the door now, but he was still moving towards it. "How do we get away from it?" he asked. The light was so bright he could barely see.

"I don't believe we have a choice, Neelix," he heard Seven shout back at him. "We are being pulled inside." That was the last thing he heard before the light and sound coming from the door blinded his senses completely.

When Tuvok returned a few minutes later, he found no sign of Neelix and Seven, and saw only the cold, locked cellar door that had been there before. "Tuvok to _Voyager_," he said. "I think there is a problem, Commander."

...

Neelix blinked his eyes, trying to adjust to the dark. He had a pounding headache in addition to having been blinded by the bright light that had pulled them into... whatever this place was. He groped around in the darkness, trying to get a sense of where he was. He felt a cold, stone floor and then something soft - another person. "Seven?" he asked.

He heard his companion groan softly. "Neelix," she said, "my eyes are still adjusting to the light. Are you injured?"

"I don't think so," he replied, running his hands over his own body to check for injuries. "What about you?"

"I do not believe so," she answered. His eyes were beginning to adjust in the dark, and he saw Seven's form sit up next to him.

"Where are we?" Neelix asked, looking around. He was beginning to see a stone room.

"You have entered the Sanctuary," a booming female voice replied. Neelix looked at Seven, and they both looked around them, but they saw no one.

"Who are you?" Seven asked. "Why have you brought us here?

"Do you seek the Truth?" the voice asked in reply.

Neelix and Seven looked at each other, unsure of how to reply. Finally, Neelix said, "Yes, we do. We came here to seek the truth about what happened to our Captain."

There was a moment of silence following his response. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a woman appeared. She was tall and beautiful, dressed entirely in a white robe. She had the aura of wisdom about her, but her skin looked ageless. Seven studied the woman carefully.

"You are the woman who stopped me in the alley," Seven observed.

"I am," the woman replied. Her tone was thick and melodious. Her voice seemed to echo throughout the chamber. "I am sorry that I was unable to give you more information at that time. It was too dangerous."

"How did you know our purpose on the planet?" Seven asked. "We had not told anyone our true reason for being here."

The woman smiled. "I have much to explain to you," she said. "Come with me." She beckoned, and Neelix and Seven stood and followed her through a passageway which they had not seen before.

"Where are you taking us?" Seven asked.

"To the inner sanctuary," replied the woman.

"These Elcarians certainly are full of secrets," Neelix mused aloud. He looked up suddenly, fearing he had made a faux pas, but the woman in white did not seem to be offended. He and Seven continued to follow her through the passageway, which was becoming lighter and broader as they walked further. A moment later, the passage opened to a grand hall. The ceilings and walls appeared to be made of crystal. Neelix inhaled sharply. In all his travels, he had never seen anything so beautiful. He was so busy admiring the beautiful room that he hadn't noticed the other beings in the room with him. Seven nudged him and he snapped to attention. In front of them was a long table, formed from the same crystal as the rest of the room. Seated at the table were eleven other women in white, all with the same ageless features as the woman who had brought them here, and all just as beautiful and graceful. Their companion took her seat at the table, leaving Neelix and Seven standing awkwardly in front of the table, gaping.

"Welcome to the Inner Sanctuary," the woman who had led them said.

"Who are you?" asked Seven of Nine. "Why have you brought us here?"

"We have brought you here because you seek the Truth."

Neelix was slowly beginning to understand. "And you," he began, "you hold the truth?"

The slightest hint of a smile appeared on the woman's face. It was the first change of facial expression she had exhibited since they had met. "We are conduits for the Truth," she said. "We are the Elcari."

"But not the Elcarians," Neelix said, puzzling it out aloud.

"That is correct, my young friend," another woman replied, having heard Neelix's muttering. "We are the guardians of Elcar. We uphold the sacred traditions and guard the ancient texts."

"Can you tell us the truth we are looking for?" Neelix asked, hoping this was the right question.

"You seek to know of your Commander's dreams," said the woman who had first escorted them.

"Yes," said Neelix, amazed at their perceptivity.

"We will tell you the Truth that you seek." Above the crystal table, a ball of light began to swirl. At first, Neelix and Seven backed away, afraid it might be some sort of weapon. But as soon as they took one step, both felt an overwhelming sense of security, and they knew they had nothing to fear. An image began to form in the swirling ball of light. Soon it became clear that it was Elcar.

All twelve women spoke with one voice. As the voices spoke, the swirling picture above the table changed as well, showing the historical scenes exactly as they had occurred. "In the ancient days, all the people of Elcar were connected. Their minds were linked. They had the ability to communicate everything, down to the smallest detail, without using a single word. Everyone focused on the teaching of their minds, the honing of their thoughts, the perfection of their ideas. People sought the best within themselves and each other. We were an agricultural society, and lived in harmony, off of the land. But gradually, as technology began to develop, the Elcarians began to abdicate their minds, instead turning to machines for answers. They began to seek control over one another and abandoned harmony. This was when the Elcari separated from the Elcarians. We escaped from their society, into these tunnels, and continued to preserve the ancient ways. We have remained here, hoping that a day would come when the Elcarians would wish to return to us, to explore the untapped potential of their minds. During this time, we have continued to strengthen our own mental powers."

The voices paused and Seven looked puzzled. "Are you the very same beings who broke off from the other Elcarians?" she asked.

"We are," the voices answered in unison.

Seven's expression became more astonished. "When did that conflict take place?" she asked.

"Five thousand years ago," the voices replied.

Neelix's jaw dropped. "You've been alive for_ five thousand years_?" he asked, flabbergasted.

"We have existed for the entire history of this planet," replied the voices. "But this is not the Truth you came to seek."

"My apologies, great ones," said Neelix, feeling that it was appropriate to act reverential. "Please, continue. We will not interrupt you again."

The swirling picture above them shifted again, this time depicting _Voyager_'s own arrival on Elcar. "When your ship arrived on our planet, we took an immediate interest in you. Elcar does not receive many visitors. We knew that your vessel's arrival had the potential to change our planet's history, and perhaps even to provoke the type of change we await in the Elcarians. We knew of Zeklar and his activities. We hoped that the exposure of him and his evil would help the other Elcarians want to use their minds in more productive ways.

"We typically do not interfere with the Elcarians and their lives. But your Captain was innocent. She had not committed the mental felonies that most Elcarians have. We could not free her. We do not manipulate the minds of others. We could not stop Zeklar, but we saw a way that we could help her.

"We hoped that if we communicated with your Commander, that he would know how to interpret our messages, being a spiritual and devoted man. He did. We sent mental healing to your Captain, to help her withstand physical abuse. We did not save her; your people know how to save themselves, but we wished to make your burdens easier to bear."

The voice slowly stopped echoing in the chamber, and the images above the table stopped swirling, vanishing into thin air. Neelix and Seven stood there, nearly speechless. The woman who had brought them there spoke again. "You must tell none of the Elcarians of our existence," she said.

Neelix bowed his head. "You can count on us, your greatness," he said. "Our lips are sealed." He paused. "But aren't you sad, being here, and watching the Elcarians, but not being able to teach them all that you know?" he asked.

Another hint of a smile passed over the woman's face. "Someday, they will be ready for what we have to teach them," she said, "and we know that day is coming soon."

With that, Neelix and Seven were blinded by a flash of light. When they awoke a few moments later, they were laying in the alleyway from which they had first disappeared, staring up into the very concerned face of Lieutenant Commander Tuvok.

...

_"You'll won't be able to stop me this time," Zeklar sneered as his hand found her throat. He squeezed it just enough to leave her short of breath, and then brought his lips down to hers. She wanted to bite him, but found that he was kissing her instead. When he raised his head for a breath, she spat in his face, but this only angered him more. She felt the hot sting of his hand across her face. She tried to cry out, but couldn't make any sound. His hand began to travel along her body, squeezing her breast. She tried to struggle against him, but found she was paralyzed. His hand was between her legs. She could hear him undressing himself. She wanted to move, she wanted to scream, but she was frozen on the cold, hard floor. She felt Zeklar began to lower his weight onto her. She felt as if she was about to vomit..._

Kathryn Janeway bolted awake. She was sweating. It took her a moment to realize that she had been dreaming; a nightmare. She heard the door chime and realized that it must have been the second or third time it had chimed. "Just a minute," she said, trying to steady her voice. She slowly stood from her bed. Her injuries had mostly healed, but she was still moving gingerly as she threw on her robe. She was sure it was Chakotay. _Twice in one week, I'm meeting him in my robe_, she thought ruefully._ I can't wait to get back to duty._ "Come in," she said, when the robe was tied. When the door opened and Chakotay stepped inside, she could see on his face that her attempt at composing herself hadn't been as successful as she had hoped.

"Captain," he said, tactfully ignoring her disheveled appearance, "there's been an abduction on the surface."

She felt a knot form in her stomach. "Abduction?" she asked, the fear clear in her voice.

"Neelix and Seven of Nine have disappeared," he said. "We already have search crews investigating."

"I see," Janeway replied, slowly sitting down. So, this wasn't over yet. "Any idea what happened to them?"

"Tuvok last saw them in the same area where the woman first approached Seven with information. That's all we know."

"Thank you, Commander," she said. "Please keep me informed." She paused, her voice softening a little. "Chakotay," she said, "you could have easily told me that over the comm. Was there something else?"

"I wanted to see how you were doing," her first officer replied, with those big, earnest eyes boring right into her soul. He walked over to where she was sitting and knelt before her. "Kathryn, are you alright?" he asked.

She closed her eyes for a moment. He knew her too well. "I had a bad dream," she said. "That's all. I'm fine."

He rose to sit in the chair across from her. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

She hesitated, considering the offer, and then slowly began. "I was back in the prison cell. Zeklar was attacking me again. Only this time, I was paralyzed. I couldn't scream, I couldn't move, I couldn't fight back." She shuddered at the memory of the nightmare, and looked away from Chakotay, trying to get the images out of her mind.

Chakotay was kneeling in front of her again in an instant, taking her hands in his. "Oh, Kathryn," he whispered. "Kathryn, I wish I could take everything that happened away from you."

She pulled one of her hands out of his and began to stroke his hair. "I know you do, Chakotay," she replied. "I know you do."

He looked up at her and she saw tears in his eyes. When she saw this, she could feel her own tears welling up. She tried to blink them back, but couldn't quite manage it. Chakotay reached up with one hand and caressed her cheek. His touch was so gentle compared to Zeklar's, so safe. Janeway took his hand and held it, pressed against her cheek. She closed her eyes, savoring the rare moment of closeness.

Then they heard, "Tuvok to Commander Chakotay."

Chakotay removed his hand from her cheek, but kept his other hand where it was, holding hers. He tapped his comm badge. "Chakotay here."

"Neelix and Seven of Nine have returned," Tuvok said. "They appear to be unharmed."

Chakotay looked up at Janeway, both of their eyes shining with relief. "That's excellent news, Lieutenant," Chakotay said. "Assemble the senior staff for a briefing at 0900 hours."

"Aye, aye, sir," Tuvok replied. "Tuvok out."

...

"So, the Elcari are just waiting for the right time, and then they plan to reveal themselves once again." Neelix finished telling the story of his and Seven's encounter with the mythical beings on the surface to the senior staff, gathered around the conference table.

Tom Paris whistled softly through his teeth. "It's hard to believe that they've been alive for five thousand years," he said.

"A lot of the story seems pretty incredible," replied the Captain. It was her first day back in uniform since returning from Elcar. The Doctor had finally pronounced her fit for duty. "If I hadn't experienced it myself, I probably wouldn't believe it."

Chakotay smiled. "Many cultures have stories about some type of guardian," he put in. "Maybe others are founded in reality too."

"What's interesting here is that the Elcarians don't even know they have these guardians," said B'Elanna.

"It is unfortunate that we were not able to have more communication with these Elcari," said Tuvok. "It seems they could be a valuable resource."

"I agree," Captain Janeway responded, "But they have asked us not to reveal their presence to the Elcarians, and it seems that any further communication with them would do just that. They took a risk contacting us at all, especially when they abducted Seven and Neelix."

"Agreed, Captain," said Chakotay. He looked around the table and paused before saying, "Well, if that's all the official business, Neelix has invited us all to a small gathering in the mess hall tonight. I hope you'll all attend."

Janeway nodded. "In fact, you all will attend," she said. "That's an order." Everyone nodded their ascent and stood to leave the table, pleased to be receiving orders from Captain Janeway once again.

Tom Paris approached the Captain's chair before leaving the room. "I'm glad you're back, Captain," he said.

"So am I, Tom," Janeway said, smiling. "So am I."

...

As she sat at the party, surrounded by the people who had become like family to her, Kathryn Janeway couldn't help but think back to the last party she'd been at in the mess hall: Naomi Wildman's birthday. She shook her head. That was before she had ever heard the name Elcar. She was flattered by this party in her honor. Even though no one had said that, she knew that it was. And usually, she was happy to mingle and talk with the rest of the crew, but tonight, she preferred to sit quietly in the corner, observing and taking in the atmosphere.

Neelix approached her with a plate of food in his hand. "I brought you a sampling of the buffet, Captain," he said, handing her the plate.

"Thank you, Neelix," she replied with a smile. "It looks delicious."

"How are you feeling, Captain?"

"I'm doing just fine, Neelix, thank you," she replied. "Thank you for organizing this evening."

Neelix beamed at the compliment. "It's my pleasure, Captain," he said. "This crew doesn't get enough time to just enjoy themselves!"

"I agree," Janeway replied.

Neelix suddenly looked towards the kitchen. "Oh!" he exclaimed. "I forgot all about the cake! Excuse me, please, Captain."

She nodded with a wry laugh. "You're excused, Neelix." He bustled off to the kitchen and she turned back to her observations. Tom had his arm around B'Elanna and they appeared to be deep in discussion with Harry Kim. No doubt they were trying to cook up a date for him, she mused. Chakotay was talking with Seven. The Doctor looked like he was enjoying a conversation with Lieutenant Ayala. Then she heard a voice behind her.

"Am I disturbing you?" Tuvok's calm voice asked.

"Not at all," she said, turning around to look at him. "Please, join me." Tuvok sat in the chair next to her.

"How are you faring?" he asked.

To Neelix, she could easily say that she was fine and brush off the conversation, but she knew that the same tactic would not work with her oldest friend. "I won't deny the severity of what happened to me," she said. "But I have my work, and my crew and my ship. Those are the important things."

Tuvok nodded. "If you have further difficulties," he said, "I would be happy to work with you on some Vulcan meditation techniques."

"Thank you," she replied. Then, changing the subject, she continued, "What do you make of the Elcari?"

"Not having encountered them myself, it is difficult for me to make a judgment," Tuvok replied. "However, I find their existence and their abilities fascinating."

Janeway nodded. "So do I," she said. "And I have to say, I'm flattered that they thought we were worthy of their assistance, since they don't even seem to feel that way about their own people."

"On the contrary," Tuvok replied, "I believe that they do not want to waste their assistance on a people who will simply reject them. When the Elcarians reach a more advanced stage of development, I believe the Elcari will give them great assistance."

"True," said Janeway, "but they didn't have to help us."

"No, they did not."

The two friends sat there for a moment longer and Janeway found herself yawning. "I think I'm going to turn in for the night," she said.

"Would you like me to escort you to your quarters, Captain?" Tuvok asked.

"No, thank you, Tuvok, that won't be necessary." Janeway stood and made her rounds, saying goodbye to the other party guests and thanking Neelix once again for a wonderful party. When she walked to the door, she found Chakotay standing beside it.

"Can I walk you home?" he asked, his boyish grin making his eyes twinkle.

"It's really not necessary, Commander," Janeway replied, waving him off.

"I know," he said. "But it would be my pleasure."

Finally, she shrugged and said, "I won't refuse such an offer." He offered her his arm and she took it. They walked down the hallway and into the turbolift in silence. She had wrapped her hand around his arm and he placed his other hand over hers protectively. For once, she let him, enjoying the feeling of his strong hand surrounding hers. They walked all the way to her quarters without saying a word, but it was a comfortable silence, one shared by two friends who didn't need to speak.

When they reached her quarters, they stood outside awkwardly. Kathryn spoke first. "It's late," she said. "I should probably be getting to bed."

Chakotay nodded, but didn't reply, his eyes searching hers.

She closed her eyes for a moment, feeling her lips curl into a smile. He knew her too well. Opening her eyes and looking up at him again, she asked, "Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?"

He smiled, the boyish expression returning to his face. "I'd love to."

...

"Neelix, can we help you clean up?" B'Elanna asked, as Neelix bustled around picking up dishes and leftover food.

"No, no," the Talaxian replied. "Please, just enjoy yourselves!"

"We are," said Tom, "but that doesn't mean we can't help."

"I've got it all under control, Ensign," Neelix said. "Thank you."

Tom shrugged and turned his attention back to B'Elanna "Ready to go?" he asked.

"Sure." He offered his hand and she stood. They left the mess hall with their hands still interlocked.

"Did you notice who left the party with the Captain?" Tom asked devilishly.

B'Elanna raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"Commander Chakotay."

But B'Elanna wasn't playing along. "Give him a break, Tom," she said. "He and the captain are friends. He's been very worried about her since they got back from Elcar. As we all have been."

Tom became a little more serious. "I know, I know. But don't you think Chakotay has a little more in mind than just friends?" He poked Torres in the side and she batted his hand away, but her serious veneer began to crack.

"Ok, ok," she said. "Maybe."

"Ah ha! I knew it!" said Tom trimphantly.

"Knew what?" she asked.

"Did he say something to you?"

B'Elanna burst out laughing. "Tom Paris, you are the biggest gossip on _Voyager_!" she exclaimed. "No, Chakotay did not say anything to me about the Captain! I know that he was worried about her, that's all."

She could see her Tom looking at her doubtfully. They reached her quarters and went inside.

"It's not true," he said, feigning hurt.

"What's not true?" she asked.

"Ensign Lynch is a much bigger gossip than I am."

At that remark, B'Elanna took a swing at him, and, catching her punch, he pulled her down on the bed, all talk of the Captain and Chakotay forgotten.

...

They sat across from each other, each with a steaming mug of tea. She sat on the sofa, and he on the chair across from her. "It was a nice party," said Chakotay.

She nodded. "Leave it to Neelix to come up with the perfect event for the perfect moment."

"Zeklar's trial starts tomorrow," Chakotay said. "Elise would like us to testify as soon as possible."

"Let's do it," Kathryn replied. "I want to get out of here as soon as possible."

Chakotay nodded. "Agreed."

After a moment of silence, Kathryn said quietly, "Elise, hm? Not Minister Harcott any more?" There was a note of mocking in her voice.

"Jealous, Kathryn?" asked Chakotay with a smile.

She chuckled. "I haven't any right to be jealous, have I?"

She noticed that he avoided the question, instead answering her first one. "Elise and I became very close." He stressed the use of the minister's first name. "She's been a great ally and a friend. Without her, I never would have found you." His tone had gone from jovial to serious.

"I'm very grateful to her," Janeway replied.

He took a sip of his tea before continuing the conversation. "Are you ready to testify?" he asked.

She nodded, although he could see her clench her jaw. "I know what happened, Chakotay," she said. "I don't want to deny it to myself, to you, or to anyone else."

"What did happen?" he asked softly.

She had not been prepared for him to ask her this question, but she took a breath and steeled herself to answer it. "I was captured and imprisoned," she said with a hard tone. "Zeklar kept me in prison where he physically abused me. He wanted my sanction. He wanted me to tell him what a great man he was, but I wouldn't do it. He tried to beat me into it, but I wouldn't do it." Her voice became harder as she spoke. Chakotay could see her free hand becoming a tight fist. She put down her mug and continued. "When he realized that he had no power over my mind, he tried to obtain power over my body. He wanted me to sleep with him. When I wouldn't do it, he tried to force me. I fought back, but that only made him angrier. He had all the guns and all the muscle. If it wasn't for Corran Metran, he would have raped me twice while I was imprisoned on the planet. If you hadn't come when you did..." For the first time, her voice cracked, and she stopped, trying to regain control of herself. He saw her clench and unclench her fists. He saw the muscles around her jaw tighten and release. He saw the look of determination in her eyes not to let this hurt her any more. He saw her battle with her own emotions as plain as day across her face.

Chakotay put down his own mug and moved to the sofa to sit next to her. He knew that she did not want his sympathy and did not need his protection, but his heart was aching for her, and he could not sit there and do nothing. He wrapped one arm securely around her shoulders and pulled her towards him. She resisted at first, fighting to keep her composure. "Let it go, Kathryn," he said softly, bringing his other hand up to stroke her hair. "Let it go."

The touch of his hand on her hair was too tender. She couldn't hold on to her severity when confronted with his gentleness. As he touched her hair, she dissolved into gut-wrenching, heaving sobs. He pulled her close, wrapping both of his arms around her tightly, stroking her hair with one hand, whispering to her quietly. "It's all right, Kathryn. Let it go. Let it go." He felt her arms encircle his body, as if she were holding on for dear life. They stayed like that for a long time.

Her sobs quieted and finally stopped. He felt her arms disengage from around him, and he let her sit up. He raised a hand and gently brushed the tears off of her face. "I'm sorry," she said.

He shook his head. "Don't be, please." He looked at her with a mixture of concern and relief. She had never allowed herself that kind of vulnerability in front of him, and he knew it was proof of how deeply Zeklar's torture had affected her. While his dreams had shown him bits and pieces, he knew that he didn't know the half of what she had been through. His heart ached for her, and he wished more than anything that he could undo what had been done.

"Thank you," she said softly, picking up her tea. She knew that she shouldn't feel embarrassed about breaking down in front of Chakotay; he had become her closest friend, and if she couldn't share the truth with him, she couldn't share it with anyone. Typically, she didn't share it with anyone, but something about this situation was different. She had needed his support, his embrace, his strong hands so gently stroking her hair. It was almost as if his warmth could thaw the chill that haunted her body, as if his touch could erase the memory of Zeklar's assaulting hands.

He smiled, reaching for her hand with goth of his. "Any time." His large hands enveloped her small one, and she looking up at him, tears still shining in her eyes, allowing herself to share with him a genuine smile.

They spent a long time talking that night - of their crew, of their past, of their future. It was nearly 0500 when Chakotay finally kissed Kathryn on the cheek and went to his own quarters. But, despite the late hour, they both fell asleep easily, and, for the first time in weeks, rested peacefully, without a single dream.


End file.
